Iris Zero
by rajikka
Summary: In a world where 99% of the population has a special ability called an "Iris," Lovino was isolated for being "normal." Little did he know, a chance encounter with a certain blonde with boyfriend qualifications was about to change all of that. (Romerica)
1. Zero Hour

_Disclaimer: I don't own it, I just ship it _

_Warning: AU, strong language, boy x boy pairings, and violence (more so bullying in the beginning)_

This was inspired by the manga series Iris Zero, which focuses on the school life of the main characters with super powers (and the token protagonist without powers). I loved that, but wanted to expand on it and see what a world would be filled with people like that. So, while my fic will start out developing characters in the school, it will later branch out to show how society has changed after the Iris has become a common occurrence.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Welcome to Earth, at the beginning of a new century where everyone has a special ability called an Iris…well, _almost_ everyone.

Lovino angrily made his way down the sidewalk on his way to school. He walked past a group of students chatting about seeing tomorrow's weather forecast (cold and rainy) and which store was currently having a sale (some place called The Shinatty Superstore). Irises were amazing things for people who actually had them. The few people like Lovino who were born without an Iris were called Iris Zeroes and generally looked down on.

For some unexplained reason 60 years ago, people were being born with special abilities. These abilities were centered around a person's eyes and later dubbed Iris. Basically, these Irises added a filter on a person's vision, further enhancing it somehow. It was like putting on contacts that gave you superpowers, only you couldn't take them off or choose what kind you put on.

At first very few were born with the talent, but now 99.9% of all births resulted in a baby with an Iris just as unique as they are. Powers range from seeing what's for dinner to seeing past lives. Lovino's brother, Feliciano, could see the name of the person you care about most floating above your head.

As Romulus Vargas, Lovino and Feliciano's grandfather and current caretaker, was one of the few born with an Iris 60 years ago, having a powerful Iris has always been important to the Vargas family. Lovino could still picture the disappointed faces of his family when it was revealed he lacked one.

"_But what do you see, Lovino?" _

"_What?" _

"_Words, numbers, pictures, _something_..." his frustrated father explained. This wasn't supposed to be a bothersome experience. His three year old son was just being difficult again._

_Lovino looked at his feet. He wasn't trying to be a bad boy; he just didn't know what all the grown-ups were fussing about. He had already told them about all the people he saw in the room, what color their clothes were, how many were standing versus sitting, and the location of the living room they were occupying. Wasn't that what they meant? That's what he could see. Why were they all getting so angry with him?_

"_Let Nonno explain it to you, Lovino…" Romulus sat his troubled grandson in his lap. "Your brother sees names above people's heads…what do you see?" _

"_I…I don't see anything…" Lovino wasn't sure why, but he felt like he was letting everyone down. Why couldn't he see the things everyone else could? Was he being punished? Everyone was staring at him like he was lying or some kind of failure. His eyes filled with tears. "I-I'm sorry, Nonno…I don't see anything…"_

Burying that in his mind once more, the brunette turned the corner and took the main walkway leading towards his school. He and his brother went to World Academy, a well-known school where many prominent members of society are made. Romulus had even served as Headmaster there before he retired a few years ago.

Everyone had been so excited for the brothers to begin attending World Academy, until they actually met Lovino the Iris Zero. It wasn't until a year later when Feliciano enrolled that they were able to get excited again and roll out the red carpet for a member of _the_ Vargas family. Feli had enjoyed the star treatment because he loved being the center of attention. Fortunately, his bubbly and friendly personality kept it from going to his head, so while he was tremendously popular, he avoided becoming arrogant and egotistical.

Staff, students, families..._everyone_ loved Feliciano, but Lovino…not so much. Besides social isolation, there's another drawback to being an Iris Zero – idiots believing you to be bad luck or having the curse of sucking away a person's Iris. Lovino had been the target of bullying for many years now…leading to his current motto of "Low Exposure" or living without standing out.

Of course the bullying led to his second motto "Humans are Bastards."

But despite everything, Lovino worked hard to prove he could be just as good as those idiots with Irises. He climbed his way to the top standings of his school, and unlike Yong Soo or the other few who got there by cheating and seeing test scores, he did it all on his own.

This tended to take others by surprise. He was an Iris Zero, after all. Nobody had _any_ expectations, never mind _high_ expectations of the moody Italian.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Alfred had been looking for days to find the person qualified to be next Student Council President. So far, he had about as much luck as Superman appearing in the next Avengers movie. He had even been given a pass out of class for the last two days to wander in and out of every classroom to see each student, but only saw rooms filled with floating X's.

Since this was getting him nowhere, he started looking for the person who could help him find the next Student Council President. He had hoped this would be easier, but was still having no luck…and then he saw him.

From his seat inside the bus, Alfred saw a tall brunette wearing a World Academy uniform and the scowl to end all scowls. He had an unusual curl bobbing slightly with the boy's walking pace. In a sea of X's, he was the only one with an O floating above his head.

"I finally found you!" Alfred grinned, pressing his hands to the window. Unfortunately, the bus had other ideas and kept moving farther and farther away from the brown-haired boy. Alfred's eyes widened. He started knocking furiously on the plexiglass, trying to get the other's attention.

"Wait! Wait! Over here!" he shouted in vain. The scowling boy continued walking on without a care in the world. When he squinted, Alfred saw a set of red earbuds in the boy's ears. No wonder he didn't respond to him at all! Maybe if he shouted even _louder_...

"Keep it down, wanker!" a familiar voice growled at him, kicking the back of Alfred's seat to send him the message. "It's too early for this shite!"

But Alfred paid him no mind. Due to growing up with the moody Brit, Arthur's nagging/scolding voice had become white noise to him. Alfred didn't have time for lectures; he had to handle this new situation in the most mature and heroic way possible.

"Stop the bus! Stop the bus!" he shouted, leaping out of his seat and waving his arms at the bus driver.

Startled by a student suddenly jumping around and flailing his arms, the driver slammed on the brakes, launching Alfred forward to the front of the bus. The blonde regained his balance, quickly smiled apologetically and explained it was urgent hero business (earning a few groans from the other riders). By the time he practically jumped out of the bus, he'd lost his target.

Alfred looked around but couldn't find the qualified person in the sea of World Academy uniforms and unique haircuts. He squeezed his eyes shut to focus.

"Think, Alfred, think…you can do this…he goes to our school, so we must know him…"

People passed him by, sending him odd looks. Nobody had the heart to tell him that his thinking voice had become his speaking voice again. The American was eccentric to begin with and when he entered his "Mind Palace" his weirdness doubled.

"Okay…he's a guy…tan, brunette, hair curl…" Alfred rattled off, realizing those were all traits shared by Feliciano Vargas, from his own class. "He's gotta be Feli's older brother…what was his name…? Leo…Lucio…Loki…Lovi! Lovino Vargas!"

He resisted the urge to give himself a self-five. Watching all those episodes of Sherlock with his brother must be paying off, after all! The hero ran past the other students, forming a new question in his mind.

_Who is in Lovino Vargas's homeroom?_

Several X's sprung up around him, but he passed two O's, one of whom he knew.

"Tino! Who's your homeroom teacher?"

"Professor Zwingli. Why?" the shorter blonde asked.

"Thanks, man!" Alfred continued running by.

"No problem…?"

"Wh't a str'nge guy…" Berwald commented beside Tino.

After some more running (and waving apologetically to some teachers), Alfred finally tracked Lovino's homeroom down. He took a moment to catch his breath and entered excitedly. Several students noticed the popular sophomore walk in and asked what was going on. Alfred ignored them all and walked over to Lovino, taking his hand.

"Lovino Vargas! Please go out with me!"

Lovino was speechless for a moment. This lasted until he suddenly became hyper-aware of all the people staring at him, the five shades of red his face had turned, and the idiot who still was holding his hand like some kind of a lifeline. He felt like he wanted to die.

"C-Chigi!" was all he shouted and he bailed from the room.

He was sure there was a misunderstanding somewhere – a giant, colossal misunderstanding – but he was too embarrassed to find it at the moment, he just had to get far away from the scene. Briefly, he wondered how he was going to face his homeroom class tomorrow, but that's not important now. Nothing could faze him at the moment, so he wasn't even surprised when Alfred sat beside him on a bench outside with a can of soda.

"Why the hell are you following me around, bastard?" he snarled, but took the offered drink.

"So did you come up with an answer to my offer?" Alfred smiled brightly, not the least bit offended. He grew up with Arthur Kirkland, _Tsundere_ was like a second language to him.

"Eh? You were serious?"

"Yeah! Please go out with me, so we can look for the next Student Council President!"

"Th-That's what you meant?!" Lovino heated up again, although he wasn't sure whether to be relieved or offended.

"I don't think we've been formally introduced!" the blonde grinned. "I'm Alfred F. Jones, the Hero of World Academy!"

"Yes, I know who you are, idiot," replied the annoyed Italian. He sighed as an unaffected Alfred watched him expectantly, bright blue eyes shining with excitement.

"…"

"Lovino Vargas. _Charmed_," he finally responded in a frustrated tone, dripping with sarcasm.

"Nice t'meetcha, Lovino!"

"You mind telling me what this is all about or do you normally like to drop in on other classes to harass people?"

"Well, my Iris lets me see 'those who are qualified.'" Alfred pointed to his eyes proudly. "Because of that, I've been chosen to pick staff and other officials tons of times."

"Good for you," Lovino rolled his eyes.

"But this year, I haven't been able to find 'the person qualified' to be the Student Council President…" the hero admitted, a little downcast. "I tried everything, dude, but all I can see are X's all around."

"That makes no sense."

"I know; this has never happened to me before…"

"No, I mean _you_ make no sense!" clarified the brunette. "If you only see qualified people, why are you wasting your time talking to me?"

"Because you're the O!" Alfred cheered.

"…What?" Lovino asked, thinking his Iris has more to do with playing tic-tac-toe than qualifications. Then again, the X's and O's might symbolize 'not qualified' and 'qualified.'

Alfred confirmed this by making a circular shape with his fingers and peeking through it at the boy beside him.

"I see O's over people's heads when they're qualified for something. Since I couldn't find the Student Council President, I started looking for the person qualified to help me…"

"Don't tell me…"

"And that's you, partner!" Alfred raised his soda can as if he was giving a toast.

"I see," Lovino cringed, letting the water forming on his own can to trickle over his hand.

"Why do you look so bummed?" Alfred asked, a little concerned. Then, as if he had an epiphany, he grabbed the Italian's hand again. "Oh! You're worried that our huge mission might be impossible if I haven't managed to complete it yet… Don't worry, Lovino! We can do it if we work together!"

"I can't tell if you're arrogant or ignorant…" the tsundere pulled his hand out of the crazy blonde's grasp.

"Then…you won't help me…?" the American slumped back onto the bench and flashed his sad, puppy eyes.

"I…uh…" Lovino was caught off-guard that the optimistic boy could look so damned sad.

Before he could respond properly, Lovino caught a glimpse of something from above. Instinctively, he shoved Alfred away from it, but Alfred's own reaction caused him to grab onto Lovino, leading to both taking a tumble off the bench. Not a second later, a flowerpot crashed onto the bench where Alfred had been sitting. The embarrassed tsundere landed on Alfred's chest and quickly scrambled off. Undaunted, the hero offered him a hand up. Lovino reluctantly accepted it as he looked up. He didn't see anything from the roof or building, but he had a fairly good idea about what happened.

"Wow! How weird is it for a flower pot to fall from a window on this exact bench!" commented Alfred. "Good thing you were looking out for me, Lovi! That was dangerous…I wonder where it came from…"

"Sorry, but your expectations were way off…" Lovino stepped away from Alfred to give some distance.

"Why?" Alfred asked, confused.

"I don't have an Iris," he mirrored the blonde's earlier gesture of pointing to his eyes.

"Really?" Alfred tilted his head and leaned in to examine Lovino's eyes.

"It's not like there's a neon sign on them, bastard!" the tsundere blushed and shoved him back.

"I never would have guessed!" the American whistled in a low tone. "I mean, you're so smart and all…"

"That's got nothing to do with it!" Lovino snarled and stormed off. "Just stay the hell away from me!"

Alfred just blinked and watched the brunette take off in confusion.

"Was it something I said…?"

* * *

oOo

* * *

By some sort of miracle, Lovino managed to survive until lunch with few difficulties. A couple extra dirty looks and snickering, but nothing out of the ordinary. He returned the angry looks in kind and continued on his way, grateful none of the other students had gotten physical yet. The weather was nice today, so Lovino made his way to the rooftop to eat. It was supposed to be restricted to students, but he hadn't been caught yet. That combined with his presence tended to make others avoid the spot…most of the time. He pulled out his lunch sack. Feli had made pasta again (no surprise there), so Lovino took out the plastic fork and got ready to dig in.

"Loooooovi~!" called out a ridiculously cheery voice.

He resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands as his over-excited, Spanish cousin made his way over to the sunny tile Lovino was occupying.

"What do you want, Antonio?"

"Aww, I just came to see how my favorite henchman was doing…" he pouted.

"Knock it off, we're not kids anymore," Lovino growled, referring to back in the day when Antonio used his status as 'older cousin' to get the Vargas brothers to call him 'Boss' so he could call them his henchmen. Being slow in the head (or possibly sentimental), the Spaniard still insisted on using the nicknames ten years later.

"Oh?" Antonio's eyes glinted mischievously. "Then I suppose you don't want the extra churros my mom packed me for lunch…"

"Huh? I never said that!" the shorter brunette huffed. His aunt made the best damn churros in town.

"Well, I know they were your favorite snack when you were a _kid_, so I guess you wouldn't want them now that you're old and _mature_…"

"If you don't hand them over right now, I swear to god I will beat you within an inch of your life with this damned plastic fork…"

Antonio laughed and tossed the sugary snack in his cousin's direction.

"I couldn't have that, or I wouldn't be able to meet your new friend."

"New friend?"

"Word is that Alfred Jones asked you out right in the middle of homeroom."

"Hell no!" Lovino nearly choked on his churro. "That's not it at all! He's just some idiot who burst into my class and made the mistake of talking to me."

"It's not a bad thing to talk to you, Lovi…" Antonio's expression softened, all traces of teasing gone.

"I told you not to call me that," the Italian pointed his churro at him accusingly. This fell on deaf ears.

"I love talking with you and if Alfred is half as friendly as people claim he is, I'm sure he liked talking with you too," the upperclassman nodded. "Come to think of it, isn't he the first person since Feli and I…?"

Lovino shot him an angry glare.

"Someone who spoke to you normally after finding out you don't have an Iris?" Antonio finished his thought.

"You and my stupid brother are family. You're stuck with me."

"So are you saying he has a choice?"

"He just wants something from me, then he'll be throw me away like the others. You'll see."

Antonio hummed at this and the two went back to eating their lunch. They changed topics every few minutes (Antonio had the attention span of a fly on speed), but Lovino's brain kept thinking back to his earlier encounter with Alfred. He felt like a broken record. He needed to fix himself before lunch was over and he had to face the rest of his day. If people were already mistaking Alfred's statement as asking him out, he would be in trouble. Alfred might be too.

_Stop thinking about it, dammit...He's just like all the rest...He'll get what he needs from me and then go back to pretending I don't exist_...

Little did Lovino know how very wrong he was.

* * *

oOo

* * *

A/N – Hope you liked the first chapter! I was a little reluctant to post it since I have several other fics in the works as well, but this chapter was just sitting around, mostly finished on my computer just waiting to be posted…so here you go!

There will be more characters and abilities revealed in the next chapter! Some powers I borrowed from the manga that inspired this fic and some I made up. For a few, I looked on my phone and asked "Do I have an app for that?" XD

-Rajikka

**Translations**

**Fratello** – Brother (It.)

**Tsundere** – A type of character seen in anime or manga known for appearing cold or hostile, but having a hidden sweet side. "Tsun Tsun" is the aloof or irritable side, while "Dere Dere" is the lovey dovey side. (Jp.)

**Churros** – Cinnamon sugar-coated crack. Okay, not really, but I dare you to eat just one. Some people call them "Spanish Doughnuts" since they're basically a fried dough pastry.


	2. Qualified

_Disclaimer: I don't own it, I just ship it _

_Warning: AU, strong language, boy x boy pairings, violence (more so bullying in the beginning), and because this was inspired by the manga _Iris Zero_, there may be some minor spoilers for it._

Thanks for all the support from the last chapter! It motivated me to finish editing this chapter a little sooner than I expected. I guess it also helps that I have strep throat and can't exactly leave my place too…Good excuse to update lots of stuff all at once! Rawr! …hack, cough, wheeze…^^

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Hi, Lovino!" Alfred cheerfully greeted the brunette as Lovino walked through the main school gates.

"W-What, bastard?" the tsundere was caught off-guard. It wasn't often that people initiated conversations with him that didn't end in complaints or threats. "Oh. Hi."

"I take it you're not a morning person?" the blonde laughed. "Do you want some of my coffee?"

Now, Lovino was really thrown through a loop. He stared at the hand holding a cup of hot coffee extended towards him as if it was some kind of trap, while his brain tried to process where to go from here. Moodiness won out in the end.

"No thanks. Not thirsty."

"Oh, okay," Alfred shrugged, taking a sip of it for himself. He had to stay at the main gates for a little longer, so he waved to his new friend. "Seeya later, then!"

Not bothering to return the wave, Lovino picked up his pace. He could feel his face heat up for some stupid reason. He was probably just warm from his walk to school. Yeah, that was it. Alfred's greeting was nothing special. He probably greeted everyone he knew the same way. Lovino didn't care. He _couldn't_ care. He had bigger problems.

His desk in Homeroom was cluttered with crumpled paper, candy wrappers, and other assorted trash. Lovino mentally sighed. He knew there'd be something after yesterday's…incident. It was nothing he hadn't seen before, though. Wordlessly grabbing the wastebasket, he continued over to his desk, casting a few glares on the snickering students in the corner. He easily swept the papers into the garbage, revealing the scratched-up top of his desk.

YOUR A CURSE! DIE!

The engraving was new. Lovino raised his eyebrows. The laughter behind him grew.

"If you're going to try to threaten me, at least use the proper form of 'you're' you dumb bastards," he sneered right back. "Did you expect to scare me off with your lack of grammar skills?"

Ignoring the grumbling behind him, Lovino turned around and sat in his desk like nothing had even happened. Like hell, he'd let the jackasses get the best of him.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Hi, Lovino!" the blonde greeted his friend the following morning.

"You're out here again?" the Italian asked, momentarily forgetting his brother was standing next to him.

"Yep! I'm looking for the next Student Council President, remember?"

"Knock yourself out…"

"Have an awesome day!"

"Yeah, whatever…" Lovino grumbled and continued on his way.

"Aww, that was sweet of him…" Feliciano nudged his brother.

"Shut up, you're annoying," Lovino growled back.

"Ve~! Fratello's _blushing!_" the amber-eyed boy poked his brother's cheek.

"I am not! Get the hell away from me!" the tsundere swatted at him.

"You're finally making more friends!" Feli sighed wistfully, pulling out his phone. "I gotta tell Toni!"

"Idiota! You put that thing away or I'll break it in half!"

"Ve~! Fratello's scary!"

Feliciano would later apologize, citing their little scuffle as the reason he 'accidentally' hit the send button. Any further exchanges about the subject matter of the texts was simply to be polite. Yes, it was for the sake of having good manners that Feli and Antonio spent the rest of the day texting back and forth about their little Lovi growing up and making fun, new friends. There also may or may not have been several emoticons used to indicate the cuteness level of Lovino getting worked up over the whole thing.

* * *

oOo

* * *

The next day was rainy. Lovino woke up and glared outside his window as if that would somehow help. He hated the rain.

"Loviiii!" his younger brother called to him from downstairs. "Toni's here!"

Lovino picked up his bookbag and made his way down the staircase. He mentally tried to wake himself up more. It was too bad he didn't get up earlier and make himself coffee or something. He would need caffeine and lots of it to deal with Antonio this early in the morning.

"It's so nice of Toni to always take you to school on stormy days, fratello!"

The surly Italian grunted in response.

"I know exercise is important and all, but I miss the days when you'd ride to school with me…"

"I prefer walking."

He didn't have the heart to tell his little brother that he stopped because of all the threats he was getting from Feli's fans. Apparently, they were worried his imaginary Iris Zero bad luck would somehow transfer to the vehicle he was riding in and cause Feliciano to be in a car crash. However, Lovino truly didn't mind walking ten minutes to school, so it wasn't a complete lie

Lovino pulled up his hood and jogged out to his cousin's parked car.

"Buenos dias, Lovi!" Antonio chirped as the brunette sat down.

"Chupas mis huevos, tomato bastard."

Needless to say, Lovino's Spanish lessons were coming along nicely. The rest of the drive to school consisted of Antonio telling Lovino all about the cute raincoats with little animal ears they made for kids now and how he passed a class of preschoolers all wearing them and how cute that was and how cute he remembered Lovino was back when he was little and wore raincoats to school, so it was too bad they didn't make cute raincoats with animal ears back then, not that Lovino's any less cute without them, of course. Cute. Cute. Cuuuuute.

The Italian really, _really_ wished he had made that batch of coffee.

"Hi, Lovino!"

Alfred cheerfully welcomed the tsundere to school by the gates again, bringing him out of his daze. Lovino grunted in return, but Antonio happily returned the greeting for his cranky cousin.

"Sorry, Alfred! Lovi gets grumpy when he doesn't get his morning coffee!" the Spaniard laughed.

"I know!" Alfred grinned. "Just yesterday he—"

"Standing right here, assholes!" Lovino reminded them, then punched his older cousin in the arm. "Camminare, bastardo."

"But, Lovi! You know I don't speak Italian!" Antonio whined, but complied and began walking.

"Shut up! I can learn Spanish, you can learn Italian!"

"Oh, here! Before you go!" Alfred pulled out a second to-go cup of coffee and offered it to Lovino. "You looked really tired yesterday, so I made sure to pick you one up for today. I hope you like cappuccinos. You seem like a cappuccino kind of guy!"

"Ch-Chigi!" Lovino shouted, exasperated and embarrassed. He tore off in the general direction of his locker, leaving the two guys in the dust.

"Something I said?" Alfred questioned, looking at the coffee and trying to think of where he went wrong. Why would Lovino run off like that? Maybe he didn't like cappuccinos?

"Don't worry," Antonio took the coffee in his cousin's stead, taking a sip. "That means he likes you!"

After running the majority of the way to his locker, Lovino slowed down and caught his breath. He wasn't sure why he got so embarrassed by that situation. It really was _just_ coffee. Alfred probably got coffee for all his dumb friends. It wasn't special treatment or anything. Sure, it was the first time someone who wasn't related to him got him coffee, but that's irrelevant. Lovino opened his locker door and frowned as more garbage spilled out.

_Maybe I _should_ have taken that coffee_…

He pulled out the textbooks to find they were scribbled over with permanent marker. Several pages were torn out and strewn about his locker. Trying to ignore the damage the best he could, Lovino grabbed the books he'd actually need for today.

_Sadiq is going to be so pissed at the end of the year when he finds out I swapped our books_…

Lovino learned how to pick locks and break into lockers around the same time his bullies did. He was just better at it. And he certainly didn't have time to deal with paying damage fees when he had to return textbooks at the end of the year. A bright yellow paper caught his eye with red paint still seeping everywhere.

_They're upping their game again, I see_…

He flipped over the large paper to read it better. It was written in bold, red ink. How uninspiring.

**Who do you think you are?! You freak of nature! Zeroes like you should mind there own business! If you curse Alfred Jones we'll kill you!**

_They still can't spell to save their own lives…braindead bastards_.

* * *

oOo

* * *

The school library had become Lovino's sanctuary of sorts. True, the librarian was kind of a bitch who bit off anyone who so much as _whispered_ around her, but it meant that all the assholes who liked to scream their opinions of Iris Zeroes at him were forced to shut up too. It was the only place in World Academy that he could get some peace and quiet.

_Finally_…

He dropped his bag onto a table half-hidden by bookshelves and collapsed into a cushioned chair. Running a hand through his hair, Lovino closed his eyes and tried to relax a bit. It had been a _long_ day…

"Hi, Lovino!" an unmistakable voice greeted him brightly.

"What the fuck are you doing?" the Italian nearly jumped out of his seat.

"I was in the library and saw you come in, so I figured I'd drop by and say hi," Alfred smiled brightly.

"Well, stop talking to me. It gets attention…" Lovino inclined his head towards a group of students shooting both worried and angry glances their way.

"Huh? I guess I didn't notice."

"Of course not. You live for attention, don't you?" his green eyes flashed as he slammed his book shut. "Let me make this perfectly clear for you – whenever an Iris Zero stands out, we get beaten. Standing out is a matter of life and death…that's why I made 'Low Exposure' my policy. Don't get in the way of that…"

"W-What…?"

"You heard me, dammit," Lovino glared at him. "Stop hanging out with me so I can go a fucking day without getting death threats and garbage in my locker."

A pang of guilt flashed over Alfred's bright blue eyes. He hadn't meant to make things difficult for his new friend.

"Well, you don't have to worry about helping me find the next President. Today was the last day I had to look. This afternoon I gotta report that I didn't find anyone." Alfred sighed. "The Hero has failed, but I did my best!"

"Yeah, good for you."

"I was hoping I could've convinced you to help me…" the American pouted.

"Sure, a lot of good I would have done not being able to see anything," Lovino waived off his claim. "You were better off without me."

"I don't think that's true," replied Alfred, in complete honesty. "Unlike us, you can see the world without filters, right?"

Lovino could only stare.

"Crap, there I went running my mouth again. I didn't mean to offend you or—"

"No…"

"Heh. Truth be told, I'm a little jealous of you," Alfred stood up. "Well, I better get going. Seeya around, Lovino!"

The brunette watched him leave in confusion. Most of the time it seemed like Alfred was running around with an empty head and then he had to go and spout out things like that. Not that he was impressed or anything. He was just making a simple observation is all.

* * *

oOo

* * *

The Student Council meeting was called to order by Roderich, one of the senior student class representatives. The large room was filled to capacity. Each row of chairs was occupied at the long white tables outlining the floor. Laptops, computers, and tablets whirred in the background, even as the chatter died down. As this was the meeting in which the next President was going to be announced, all of the Class Representatives had been invited.

In World Academy, the Class Reps were two students chosen from each class to help oversee things in general. Above them were the Student Council members (consisting of a Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer) who were appointed by the President. The Student Council President had been chosen by a vote in the past, but after the emergence of Iris abilities, the school relied on students with Irises similar to Alfred's to make the best choice. For the last two years, it had been Alfred's job to select the President and each choice had been successful.

"Thank you all for coming today," the Austrian boy tried to get everyone's attention.

"Hmph, some 'meeting…'" Arthur complained. "All we're doing is appointing the person the git saw as 'qualified.'"

"Shh! It's starting, mon ami!" Francis shushed him, earning a glare.

"So, Alfred, please tell us the 'qualified person.'" Roderich continued.

"…Actually, guys…Sorry. I couldn't find anyone," Alfred admitted.

A rush of surprised whispers tore through the meeting room. Nothing like this had ever happened before. What were they supposed to do now? Randomly appoint someone? Take a vote?

"Even though you stood out in front of the gate each morning and visited every classroom in our school?" Roderich did little to hide his annoyed tone.

"Yeah…I'm sorry," the blonde scratched his head.

"Are you sure you mean 'I couldn't find someone' and not 'I couldn't see anything?'"

"What do you mean?" Alfred asked.

"…" Antonio narrowed his typically cheerful eyes. He had a feeling he knew exactly where this was going.

"You've been getting along quite well w/the Iris Zero lately," Roderich shrugged casually. "And seeing an X or an O above someone's head seems a little farfetched, even for you."

"What are you trying to say?" Alfred was getting offended. "That I'm lying? That all my other choices have been lucky?"

More whispers floated across the room.

"I did see him talking to the Iris Zero earlier!"

"No, way! Seriously?"

"Maybe he's cursed now? How awful!"

"Why would you say that?" was quick to defend his new friend. "He was just helping me out!"

"What a bad atmosphere…" Kiku frowned.

"B-But Lovi's not cursed!" Feliciano insisted. "And Alfred wouldn't lie! Tell them, Lud!"

"But he still couldn't find a qualified person…" the German gave him an apologetic look. "I don't think my word will have much weight here…"

Suddenly, when the room couldn't get any more tense, Lovino strode in. He walked in as if he owned the place, not paying any mind to the cat-ear headband perched on his head, courtesy of the Shinatty Superstore sale. The majority of the room could do nothing but stare. Feliciano cracked a smile and Kiku quickly snapped a picture. Only after he was certain he had their undivided attention, did Lovino pretend to notice the room full of people.

"Shit, I got the wrong room…" he rubbed his head, doing his best not to blush.

"What's that on his head?"

"Cat ears?"

"The Iris Zero is so weird…"

"I like the ears, man!" Alfred burst out laughing, no longer feeling the weight everyone's accusing stares.

"Ears?" the Italian raised an eyebrow, acting surprised. He then pulled the headband off. "Oh, I guess I didn't even notice. I can't see what's above my own head, after all."

Lightbulbs seemed to flash around the large room. Lovino merely spun on his heel and exited the room as casually as he entered.

"Later, bastards!"

"Above…your own head…"

"Omigawd! Alfred's Iris!"

"Yeah, it only shows him the X or the O above a person's head!"

"So the person most qualified must be…" Feliciano smiled brightly and stood up, directing everyone's attention to the blonde in the center of the room.

"Me?" Alfred blinked and pointed to himself.

Lovino walked away as the room started cheering and congratulating Alfred.

"Hmph. Not two minutes ago they were ready to chase him out of town with torches and pitchforks…now they're pledging their undying loyalty…" he sighed. "That only proves my point about Motto #2…Humans are Bastards."

But a small, minuscule, often and quickly denied part of him was secretly happy Alfred got the job.

* * *

oOo

* * *

A/N – Hope you enjoyed the second chapter! From here on out, I'll start deviating from the manga's plot, but there still may be some spoilers (mostly in terms of powers) from the original manga. I'll try not to call attention to them as they pop up, but wanted to let you know ahead of time :)

Lovino picked up the cat-ear headband from the Shinatty Superstore after remembering that a random passerby used her Iris to tell her friends they were having a sale from chapter 1. The boy has some crazy hearing. I'm not at liberty to reveal what happened to the headband after.

Next time we'll see what kind of crazy things Alfred tries to get away with as President…okay, that's a lie. We'll be seeing that the entire story. ^^

-Rajikka

**Translations**

**Fratello** – Brother (It.)

**Tsundere** – A type of character seen in anime or manga known for appearing cold or hostile, but having a hidden sweet side. "Tsun Tsun" is the aloof or irritable side, while "Dere Dere" is the lovey dovey side. (Jp.)

**Buenos dias** – Good morning (Sp.)

**Chupas mis huevos** – Suck my balls (Sp.)

**Camminare, bastardo** – Walk, bastard (It.)

**Mon ami** – My friend (Fr.)


	3. The Things Called Lies

_Disclaimer: I don't own it, I just ship it _

_Warning: AU, strong language, boy x boy pairings, violence (more so bullying in the beginning), and because this was inspired by the manga _Iris Zero_, there may be some minor spoilers for it._

Through the combination of rewatching a bunch of good anime, finally editing some projects I've been putting off, and all the love you guys gave the last chapter, I'm feeling much better now! …Also I stopped playing RPGs for a few days, so I'd stop screaming at the TV screen…'cause that did _wonders_ for my strep throat…^^;

Enough of my rambling, in this chapter, you get to see a few more Iris powers and a big ole' flashback involving potato betrayal!

* * *

oOo

* * *

Feliciano was always the friendlier and happier of the Vargas brothers, but not by choice. He had often wondered what life would be like for them if circumstances were different and Lovino also had an Iris. Not that he needed an Iris to be a great big brother or that having one would make Feli love him even more…He just wondered if things would be different…happier, maybe.

The younger Vargas had often spent a lot of time worrying about his fratello. He knew that poor Lovi was constantly being bullied and making sacrifices for him, but no matter how much he tried to help, Feliciano felt like he just made things worse. Being there for his brother was one of the few things he could actually do to help Lovino. Sometimes it felt like he, Nonno, and Toni were all that his fratello had in the world.

And then he met Alfred.

"I'm so happy you're making friends with Alfredo!" Feliciano clung to his brother's arm shortly before they had to go to class.

"Shut up, we're not friends!" Lovino growled, trying to balance his grabby brother and his coffee drink. "And get the hell off me, already! You're acting like some little kid!"

"I think it will be good for you to open up to others."

"You remember that my opening up to others is what got me into so much trouble, right?"

"That's not what I meant…" Feliciano frowned for a moment, then brightened, squeezing his brother's arm tighter. "I'm hopeful that one day everyone will see you for yourself, not your Iris status!"

"Don't hold your breath, Feli…" Lovino took a sip of his beverage.

"I think Alfredo would agree with me!" he giggled.

"What's he got to do with all of this?" the older Vargas brother tilted his head. His fratello could be a confusing person sometimes. "And what's your deal with giving people weirder and weirder nicknames?"

"I believe that he'll help others see the real Lovi and then people will judge you less."

Lovino tried to shrug it off, but Feliciano wasn't quite done.

"Besides, I know something you don't think I know~!" Feli said in a sing-song voice.

"And what's that?"

"_Alfred_ was the one who got you that coffee, wasn't he?" the Italian poked his embarrassed brother's cheeks. "Ve~! Did you turn as red as a tomato then too?"

Feliciano was very grateful for the fact he had a head start on his brother. Had he been caught, he had a feeling he would've been _wearing_ that cappuccino.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Feliciano made his way down the busy corridors to his homeroom class. He always thought it was too bad Lovino was a year ahead of him in school, Feli loved all of the people in his class. Everyone was so nice to him, he was sure they would've been nice to Lovi too! Entering the room, he waved to several classmates and took his seat next to Ludwig, the guy he's had a crush on since forever…'Forever' being the last two years, anyway.

"Ciao, Ludwig!" he greeted him happily.

"Good morning, Feliciano."

"You'll never guess what I saw on my way to school this morning!" the brunette's eyes lit up as he began chatting away.

Ludwig looked up at his friend and nodded at the few pauses in the conversation about baby penguins sliding down a hill for some kind of car commercial. It was a strange car, but the baby penguins were so cute and Feliciano would love to have one for a pet. He even asked his German friend if he knew anything about baby penguins, such as do they like pasta? The Italian could be a bit excitable, but he's also honest. In fact, Feliciano was the most honest human being Ludwig had ever met. Even if Feliciano could be a little hyper and impulsive at times, Ludwig wished others could be more like him.

There were days that the blonde felt like he was drowning in lies until the pasta aficionado approached him. Feliciano is like a breath of fresh air in a polluted city. The two were friends, but Ludwig imagined they would be closer if not for Feliciano's older brother. The selfish part of him blamed Lovino for their current situation, but the rational part of him reminded him it was just as much his own fault.

"What are you thinking about, Lud?"

"…The past."

"You're so mysterious…" chuckled the brunette.

Feliciano didn't remember that they actually met a long time ago in grade school. They were in opposite classes, but both were in 2nd grade when the Beilschmidt brothers transferred in. They had gone there for barely a week when all the trouble began…

"Lud? Are you alright?" Feliciano poked his head into the German's line of vision. "You look sad…"

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You can always talk to me, you know…" the brunette offered him a sincere smile.

Ludwig smiled at his friend's gesture, but it was short-lived.

"What? Ludwig's feeling down? That's too bad!" another student butted into the conversation.

"Yeah, you can talk to me, too!" another jumped in.

"We're all here for you, Ludwig!" a third announced.

Their words were comforting, but they also betrayed them. Ludwig usually kept it a secret, but his Iris could reveal if a person was lying. The blonde felt his brow crease slightly as the trademark devil tails appeared on the three around him. As usual, only Feliciano was being completely honest with him, the others were just saying words that made them look better.

Ludwig hated liars.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Bruder, I don't want to go…" seven year old Ludwig complained to his older brother.

"I know, I don't either…" nine year old Gilbert agreed, absently staring out of the car window. "But we have to. Old man's orders."

Ludwig looked down at his tiny hands. His father was in the military, so they moved around a lot. He had already been to three different schools in his lifetime and wasn't looking forward to more. No matter how many times he tried to convince himself the next place would be better, it never was.

At his current school, he almost disproved his theory upon meeting Feliciano at recess. The Italian boy was very sweet and kind to everyone. He always spoke honestly and sincerely to everyone he passed. Meeting him had been the highlight of his time at that elementary school, but all good things had to end. For him, that began the day he met Feliciano's older brother.

Back then, Ludwig was still small. He was little and shy and afraid of confrontation. Keeping his Iris a secret was a big deal to him because of past experiences with students making him a human lie detector. It was awful for him when the other kids purposely lied to him in order to 'test' him. Being raised by his father to always tell the truth, this made his tummy hurt. Why couldn't anyone else see how painful lies were?

Little Ludwig had done all he could to keep his Iris a secret at his new school. He didn't want others to treat him differently and he certainly didn't want them to intentionally lie to him for 'fun.' When Lovino had exposed the truth about his Iris, Ludwig became terrified. As all the other big boys congratulated Lovino on another job well done, Ludwig heard a few ask about the Italian's awesome Iris. Lovino explained it to them, becoming the lie that pushed Ludwig over the edge.

"Liar! !"

Ludwig didn't know how to handle a liar telling others the truth about his Iris, ruining his chances at peace, then lying about having an Iris capable of doing so. Anger got the best of the little German boy and he told all the others that Lovino was an Iris Zero. It was only fair, right? Both told the other students each other's biggest secret. Ludwig was raised to always tell the truth. He did the right thing, didn't he?

Within the next three weeks, Ludwig watched Lovino's life become hell.

The brunette had been popular before the incident, but now all his friends had turned on him. They pushed him into puddles, hid his gym shoes, scribbled on his homework, and isolated him from the rest of the school. The children's logic was cruel. Whether it was because they were too young to understand or too unwilling to even try, all of the other students stopped seeing Lovino as an equal. The day he was revealed to be an Iris Zero was the day he stopped being human in their eyes. Iris Zeroes were different. They were bad kids who didn't have feelings and deserved to be treated like dirt. Iris Zeroes were accidents and made wrong. Why else were there so few of them? If they didn't show him who was boss, Lovino might curse them. The only one who defended him was his little brother.

Ludwig initially felt guilty and responsible, but didn't know how to help after causing so much hurt. He tried to avoid Lovino and even Feliciano to a degree. Turning a blind eye to someone else's pain was incredibly difficult, but Ludwig did what he thought he had to. After people started turning on Feliciano too, the boys suddenly vanished. Ludwig heard from his teacher that the Vargas brothers had moved somewhere else. Things were too complicated here, so they left to find a different school to start over at.

Ludwig had managed to ruin Lovino's life, which indirectly ruined his own. After Feliciano moved away too, Ludwig lost his only sanctuary in the den of liars. Ludwig hated liars, but he also hated himself.

Even now, the relationship between himself and Lovino was very strained and complicated. He knew from the cold looks and glares that Lovino remembered him. The one thing he couldn't figure out was why the older Vargas brother never mentioned it to Feliciano.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Feliciano had been worried about his friend, Ludwig. The German boy had been more frowny today than usual. Luddy had told him it was nothing to worry about, he was just reminiscing, but Feliciano wasn't so sure.

It was up to him to make Ludwig feel better again!

But how to do it…? He thought and thought, all day long. The brunette even drew doodles of Ludwig's frowny face in Art class when he was supposed to be drawing the bowl of fruit in front of him. Somehow the doodle morphed into a picture of the two of them smiling and running through a field of flowers before Elizabeta nearly had a heart attack next to him and confiscated the picture 'for personal use.' He was able to quickly whip something up before the end of the period to turn in, but his teacher hadn't been pleased with the rushed work. Her Iris could tell her how much effort others put in their work, after all.

Then it hit him – he could draw Ludwig a picture to cheer him up!

Feliciano remembered that his art teacher was in charge of the supply closet, so if he asked nicely, maybe she would let him.

"Ve~! Professor!" He chirped.

"What is it, Feliciano?" She looked up at him with an icy stare, sending a shiver of fear down his spine.

"V-Ve! Nothing! I just wanted to let you know your sweater looks very nice today!" Feliciano stammered and took off.

The final school bell had rung for the day, but Feliciano's quest to cure the frownies was far from over. He wouldn't let this minor setback make him give up!

"Hmm…now where am I going to find the right materials to make Lud a picture…?" he asked himself, passing the Student Council room on his way to his locker.

"Ve…Don't they keep extra art supplies in the Student Council room?" Feliciano scratched his chin. He was pretty sure they did. His expression brightened. "I'm sure they won't mind if I borrow a few things…what harm could it do?"

Feliciano knew he technically wasn't on the Student Council (Alfred hadn't chosen anyone yet) and students (even Class Reps like him) weren't supposed to enter the room without permission, but this was an emergency! If Ludwig stayed upset any longer, his face might freeze in its frowny expression! And that would be terrible! Feliciano carefully let himself in quietly and helped himself to a few posterboards (in case he made a giant card instead of a single drawing) and art pens kept in the back.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Lovino! Lovino! Guess what?" Alfred excitedly jogged over to his friend, not waiting for a response. "I'm coming up with candidates for the other Student Council positions!"

"Why are you telling me?"

"Because I wanted to make you Vice-President!"

Lovino choked on his soda and stared at the blonde in disbelief.

"Are you insane or something? That would cause a coup!"

"I don't think so at all," Alfred crossed his arms. "I think you would do a great job!"

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, you have a good eye for detail and would've been able to keep me in line…which I'm told is a very difficult task for some reason."

Lovino caught the past tense reference and the sad look in Alfred's eye. The gears in his brain whirred until he had an answer in a matter of seconds.

"Ah, I see…You already recommended me and were rejected."

"I don't understand why…" the American frowned deeply. "I told the Student Council advisor you'd be perfect for the job, but he didn't listen."

"Don't worry, that's only natural," the brunette shrugged. "I'm not upset or anything, so you shouldn't be either."

"Oh, I'm not upset at all!" Alfred's sunny smile came back tenfold. "I made a new position for you!"

"…You _what?_"

"As of this moment, you are the first official Police Commissioner!" Alfred grabbed his hand and started dragging the stunned boy towards the Student Council room. "People will have to call you Commissioner Vargas and wherever there's trouble, you point me towards it and I'll save the day, just like Batman, but more awesome! Now that it's all settled, let's go sign all the official paperwork, partner!"

Lovino felt his mouth open, but no sounds come out.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Feliciano had just finished gathering all the necessary art materials and was ready to leave to make Ludwig the best Cheer Up card ever. It would have friendship, puppies, and sparkles all over the place! And if he could arrange it right, Feliciano was going to make a potato and wurst border. It would be perfect!

The door squeaked open.

_Uh-oh_…

The Italian's feet were rooted to the spot. He was frozen in place like a deer in the headlights. Feli tried to swallow the lump in his throat. If he was caught in here without permission taking stuff (no matter how good his intentions) he could get in a lot of trouble. Suddenly, he felt ridiculous for ever thinking this was a good idea. Squeezing his eyes shut, Feliciano prayed it was Alfred who entered the room. Maybe he could convince him it was for a good cause and not get in trouble. Alfredo seemed like a reasonable guy!

"Feliciano, what on earth are you doing in here?"

It was Roderich and Ludwig.

_Eeeeeeek! _

"O-Oh, me?" Feliciano sweated under the pressure. "I-I was just, um, cl-cleaning up a little! Hehe…!"

It was an obvious lie that didn't even need someone with Ludwig's Iris to see through. The taller students sighed at the Italian's antics. As absent-minded as the boy was, he did know the school rules. There was no way he could have mistaken today as a meeting day. Yet, Feliciano wasn't the sort to have any political agendas, so whatever half-baked idea caused him to enter the room without permission was most likely harmless.

"Alright, Feliciano," Roderich adjusted his meticulous uniform. "I'll give you the benefit of the doubt…"

Feliciano and Ludwig sighed in relief until the Austrian boy turned to Ludwig.

"Because he _is_ telling the truth, right?"

Feliciano and Ludwig locked eyes. The German felt his throat go dry.

* * *

oOo

* * *

A/N – Because who _wouldn't_ want to be a Police Commissioner in charge of calling the shots and simultaneously making life very difficult for their past bullies? Lovino doesn't understand the great deal he's getting… XD

While Alfred and Lovino are going to be the center of this story, I'll do my best to share some of the spotlight with other characters and couples. So, here! Enjoy your Gerita tension~!

Next chapter will have Lovi's version of the exposing the Iris Zero flashback that Ludwig began here. And pie...Maybe.

-Rajikka

**Translations**

**Fratello** – Brother (It.)

**Nonno** - Grandfather (It.)

**Tsundere** – A type of character seen in anime or manga known for appearing cold or hostile, but having a hidden sweet side. "Tsun Tsun" is the aloof or irritable side, while "Dere Dere" is the lovey dovey side. (Jp.)


	4. The Truth Hurts

_Disclaimer: I don't own it, I just ship it _

_Warning: AU, strong language, boy x boy pairings, violence (more so bullying in the beginning), and because this was inspired by the manga _Iris Zero_, there may be some minor spoilers for it._

Thanks again for all your wonderful feedback! I love hearing your thoughts about the story. This fic in particular is a lot of fun to write, but after looking over your comments, I think Ludwig better avoid dark alleys for awhile… :P

* * *

oOo

* * *

The Student Council Room had quickly become an uncomfortable place. The warm-colored tile and the natural sunlight streaming through the large windows did little to help ease the tension that filled the air. There were only three people in the room, but it felt like it was crammed to capacity.

"Well, Ludwig?" Roderich arched an eyebrow. "What's the problem? He was telling the truth, was he not?"

Feliciano felt his eyes well up with tears. He had only wanted to make a special card for Ludwig, he didn't mean for any of this to happen. Maybe it would be better to admit it? He'd take whatever punishment he had coming, he felt awful for putting Ludwig in such a difficult position. The German was feeling horribly conflicted himself, but before he could stammer out an answer, the solution strolled into the room in the form of Feliciano's angry older brother.

"What the hell are you bastards doing, giving my brother such a hard time?" Lovino frowned at them. Quickly his eyes flickered to his brother's location, the items he was holding, and the terrified expression on his face. "Feli, you idiot, why didn't you just tell them you were here for me?"

"For you?" Roderich asked, his voice turned sharp. He wasn't thrilled with the idea of the Iris Zero sullying the Student Council room.

"Obviously," Lovino rolled his eyes. "I took too much stuff earlier, so I asked Feli to return the extra materials for me."

"How dare you enter the meeting room uninvited!"

"Put a sock in it, piano bastard," the tsundere brushed a strand of hair out of his unimpressed green eyes. "Nobody cares what you have to say."

"You will once I go to our advisor and have you expelled!" snapped Roderich. "Stealing is a crime, if I'm not mistaken."

It was a well-known fact that Edelsteins have always been involved on World Academy's Student Council program. Roderich's uncle was the current teacher serving as the Student Council Advisor and Roderich himself was Vice President for the past two years. Fortunately, Alfred stepped in smoothly before things got even more out of hand.

"Whoa, whoa, everybody calm down…" the blonde waved his hands to get their attention. "Lovi's not a thief, I asked him to swing by on his way home to help me out with something."

"Very well," the Austrian replied through gritted teeth. He knew he couldn't go against the President. "But in the future, I suggest you exercise more caution with the kind of people you allow in the Student Council room.

"Sure, sure!" Alfred said dismissively, before throwing an arm around Lovino, giving him his full attention and guiding him back into the hallway. "So about those genetically-engineered monkey butlers I was telling you about…"

"You _really_ think I'm going to waste my afternoon designing uniforms for them?" Lovino scoffed, rolling with it like a pro.

"But I can _pay_ you using the Student Council funds…"

"Alfreeeeed…!" Roderich followed them out, veins popping all over his forehead.

Ludwig stood there in shock. For the first time ever, he saw how the truth could have ruined everything, but a few harmless lies actually saved the day. He could only slowly blink and watch the two boys exiting the room with devil tails trailing behind them. Before Ludwig had more time to process the outcome, he was glomped by the smaller Italian.

"Luuuudwig!" Felicano sobbed. "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to cause so much trouble!"

The sniffling brunette quickly explained what he had been doing in there and went over his outline for Ludwig's Cheer Up Card in great detail. After losing the blonde somewhere around the intricate boarder of wurst and potatoes, Ludwig felt he should interrupt.

"Feliciano, you don't have to go to such lengths to make me feel better…"

"Ve~?"

"I'm already very happy that you're…that you're my friend."

"Really, Lud?"

The German coughed slightly and nodded. Sentiments of the heart weren't his expertise, but if the amount of force Feliciano put behind his current hug was anything to go by, he'd done alright.

* * *

oOo

* * *

"Wow! You were just like a real superhero back there!" Alfred grinned, resting his hands behind his head.

"What?" Lovino asked, grateful they had managed to lose Roderich before the crazy American started spouting nonsense. Like hell _he_ was taking the blame for the blonde's brain damage.

"The way you protected your little bro!"

"I'm his big brother, it's my job, stupid."

The two passed the long, yet deserted hallway leading to the garden. It was between buildings, so it was more like an outdoor corridor. A warm breeze blew between the archways, carrying the scent of tulips, roses, and lilacs from the nearby garden. Lovino often liked going to this part of the school to relax when no one else was around. What he didn't know was that Alfred did too.

"Dammit…" Lovino muttered when he saw a large group of students (probably from some dumb club) turn the corner. He'd never admit it, but he had been enjoying the blonde's company…just a little. "Well, seey—ah!"

"Quick! This way!" Alfred grabbed the brunette's wrist and gleefully yanked him into the courtyard. "I wanna show you something cool!"

"W-Where are you taking me, bastard?!" the tsundere snarled, glancing back at the group of students. They hadn't seen them, which was good. He was still pissed, though. Why did a damned stranger have more control over his life than he did? It wasn't fair… "Hey! I asked you a question!"

"You'll see!" the hero laughed.

A few minutes later and the two were sitting on an old stone bench near the school pond. Sunlight glittered off the still waters. Everything was quiet, save for the occasional fish jumping and the soft buzz of people and traffic far off in the distance. It was a nice, secluded area thanks to the weeping willow trees surrounding them. Since it was on the edge of World Academy's boundaries, few students actually came there. The scenery seemed so out of place in a school. It looked more like something from the pages of a storybook.

"This is what you wanted to show me?" Lovino glanced around, trying to look unimpressed. He wasn't about to give Alfred the satisfaction of knowing about a place he'd like.

"Isn't it cool?" Alfred leaned back against the bench, using the tree trunk as his back rest. "I found it when I was a kid and visiting one of my older cousins here. Arthur tried to convince me they were Whomping Willows to scare me."

"Did he?" the brunette couldn't help but smirk.

"Maybe a little…" Alfred admitted. "But nothing the hero couldn't handle! The next time I visited we dueled and I won."

"You picked a fight with a tree?"

"Didn't you do crazy things as a kid?"

"Nope."

"Not ever?"

"Not ever," Lovino crossed his arms. "You can ask my idiot brother or cousin if you don't believe me."

"No, I believe you…" Alfred smiled, not quite believing him. "So, what did you do for fun?"

"Art, reading, football – and not your stupid American kind – swimming, helping in the garden…"

"That sounds pretty normal to me."

"Of course I had a normal childhood!" growled the Italian. Or at least as normal as he could manage, given the circumstances. "Hell, until I was eight, I even had people believing I had an Iris! Can't get any more normal than that, dammit."

"Really?" Alfred asked. Lovino had his attention, now. He wanted to find out more about his new friend and was stoked Lovino was finally talking to him more. It _was_ a good idea to show him a secret place where he didn't have to worry about other people and could be himself. "How'd you pull that off?"

Lovino smiled smugly and began his trip down memory lane…

* * *

oOo

* * *

In order to survive the playground, Lovino had to fake an Iris. Playing his strengths, Lovino claimed his power was to see images that gave him clues about what other people's Irises were. This also made up for the few times he was off by a little or wrong. Not that it happened often, mind you. Lovino was so gifted at analyzing individuals and their powers that he was able to guess right nearly every time. He became so good, people believed him for years.

It was one of the few things his family actually supported him on. Or at least partially-supported. His late mother never judged him for being an Iris Zero, but she passed away when he was very young. After that, Feliciano played along with Lovino's 'Iris' because of his guilt over blaming his brother for their mother's death. Normally, Feli would say Lovi 'didn't talk about it much' when asked by others. That way he wasn't lying outright. His grandfather thought his talent was genuine and encouraged him to study more about Irises, in the vain hope that Lovino's lie might become an actual Iris if he tried hard enough. His father never cared one way or another. After his son had been branded an Iris Zero, he had little to do with the boy.

This was why Lovino worked so hard to keep up appearances. If he could convince others that he was a normal boy with a normal Iris, maybe things would get better. Maybe his brother would be happy… Maybe his Nonno would feel more comfortable taking him out for gelato in public… And maybe…just maybe, his father would smile at him again.

It was fun while it lasted, living his silly little dream, but all good things had to come to an end. The day the potato bastards transferred into his elementary school was the beginning of his Fake Iris finale. Lovino first noticed them when Ludwig started playing with Feliciano during recess. The older Vargas brother would often see this while playing with his own group of friends outside…Lovino had forgotten how popular he had once been.

Regardless, he noticed Feli's new friend and kept an eye on him out of habit. It wasn't that he was _worried_ about his brother or anything. He was just making sure the little potato muncher wasn't some kind of bully who would make Feliciano cry. Right. That's why he was trying to figure out his Iris, in case it was important.

The first impression Ludwig left was that he was a creepy little bastard. He coldly stared at staff and students alike and outright refused to play anything involving make-believe. Ludwig said very little, always keeping things short and to the point. Lovino doubted he even knew _how_ to exaggerate or go off on tangents. How in the world could he _stand_ being around Feliciano? The German looked sad around people he walked behind and refused to make eye-contact with the majority of his class. Feli seemed to be the only person Ludwig did like and Lovino watched him flock over to his fratello at the start of every recess.

"Creepy potato pants…" the younger Lovino muttered from his position on the monkey bars.

"Oh, so you noticed too?" another boy asked.

"Huh?"

"Those two new students are really weird!" a girl wrinkled her nose.

"Yeah, but don't let the big brother hear you!" a boy warned. "He told my brother that his dad works in the Army and he lets him shoot _guns!_"

"Real guns?"

"Uh-huh!"

"He's just lying…" Lovino laughed.

"I wonder what they're really like…"

"I wonder what their Iris is!"

"Yeah, they never said anything about it, yet."

The group of five or so children giggled to themselves as they came up with possible Irises for the two transfer students. The power to see farts and the power to find smelly socks were among the highest voted.

"You guys are so dumb!" an older girl crossed her arms. "All you have to do is ask Lovino to check!"

"Oh, yeah!"

And just like that, it felt like every eye in the playground was on him. Lovino swallowed slowly. He didn't usually garner this much attention when using his fake Iris. He mostly relied on identifying a few of his classmates Irises through deduction and having kids blabbing about it to others, vouching for him in the process. Hell, half the time other kids spilled the beans on a friend or sibling's Irises beforehand, requiring little to no work on his end.

This time was different. This time the entire playground was watching him.

At some point, Lovino felt himself being dragged over to Ludwig by the others. It felt like he was watching himself in a movie and could do nothing to stop it. He groaned to himself quietly. What a giant mess…

"Hey, Ludwig! Luuuuudwig!" a girl called out. "Tell us what your Iris does!"

"Yeah, Ludwig! Tell us, tell us!" a group of boys agreed.

The little German boy only looked at his shoes, clearly uncomfortable with the idea.

"Fine, if you don't tell us, Lovino will!"

"His Iris tells him about other people's Irises!"

Ludwig looked up in shock and nervousness. Lovino could still remember how he looked like a scared little rabbit, ready to race back to his rabbit hole to escape the pack of hungry wolves. The distressed German bit his lip as the confident Italian stood his ground. He couldn't exactly back down with half the school staring him down. Lovino had to do this if he was going to keep up his act. That little lie was his key to getting a real Iris one day, wasn't it? He could finally be a normal kid, just like the others! The others didn't realize how important that was to him. As scared as Ludwig looked, he'd eventually get over it. If he was right about Ludwig's Iris, the boy had nothing to be ashamed of. It was actually kind of useful. Lovino couldn't figure out why the little runt wasn't bragging about it already.

"Hmm…let's see…" Lovino pretended to analyze the pictures he claimed he could see. In reality, he mentally reviewed all the clues he gathered about the distrusting German boy who always told the truth. "You can see…lies. You know when a person is telling the truth or not."

The look of surprise on Ludwig's face was all they needed to confirm it. Instantly, a group of kids were asking Ludwig a million questions about his super-cool Iris while Lovino's friends were congratulating him on another job well done. Some of his newer fans asked him to explain it again, so he did. Lovino told them he could see images pop up around a person that gave him clues, like a puzzle to solve.

He knew it was a risky move to pull in front of a kid who could see lies, but figured shy little Ludwig would shut his piehole. It wasn't a complete lie…it really was a reference to the mental process he used. The brunette agreed with his friend about it being a useful Iris, hoping to avoid a complete lie (he didn't say it was _his_ Iris, after all).

But none of that mattered.

"L-Liar! !"

Lovino had underestimated how much Ludwig hated liars. He suspected through other conversations, the blonde realized his deepest secret…that he had no Iris, he was just a liar.

"What'd you say?" One of Lovino's tall friends shouted at the German boy. It would be the last time he ever defended Lovino.

"Liar! !" Ludwig exclaimed again, pointing directly at the Italian.

Lovino couldn't say anything to counter that. He knew Ludwig could see through his lie and he had just given him full authority on the matter by revealing his lie-detecting Iris. His former friends and classmates stared at him in shock and disgust. It wasn't long before they put the pieces together and realized Lovino was an Iris Zero.

From that day on, he was bullied.

* * *

oOo

* * *

By the end of his little trip down memory lane, Lovino was surprised at how much he told Alfred. He didn't usually talk about himself that much with…well, anybody. And out of all the people in the world to lend him an ear, Alfred wouldn't have been at the top of his list based on his attention span alone. Normally, Alfred was constantly asking questions or interrupting him. Maybe even he can be a good listener when it really counts?

"That must be really hard on you…" Alfred said with genuine sympathy. "Since Feliciano and Ludwig are such good friends, I mean."

"I don't think Feli remembers the macho potato from back then."

"How can he not? You do, right?"

"Of course I do, dumbass," Lovino glowered at him. "That guy ruined my life."

"Then…you never told your brother about it?"

"What was the point?" the Italian sighed. "As much as I hate to admit it, Ludwig didn't do anything wrong."

"…You lost me," Alfred scratched his head.

"He was a dumb kid who just told the truth. It just happened to be my lie he was exposing," Lovino huffed. "Maybe it was for the best…if he hadn't I still might be lying my way through school."

"You weren't lying…you were hiding your secret identity," Alfred patted his friend's back reassuringly.

"Thanks, bastard," Lovino stood up. "Even though I still hate the potato-muncher, it might have been better for my secret to be revealed then instead of now. That way I can still chalk it up to a kid playing pretend, not a teenager betraying everyone's trust."

"That's pretty deep."

"Yeah, I'm a confusing bastard, I know."

"Actually, I was just thinking you're one of the coolest people I've ever met."

"Bullshit. I don't even need an Iris to call you on that."

"No, it's true!" Alfred stood up to meet him closer to eye level. "Think about it, Ludwig and your bro are friends. I know you don't get along with Ludwig, and would probably prefer Feliciano to hang out with other people, but you never once guilt-tripped your brother with the fact that you know it was Ludwig who told everyone you didn't have an Iris way back when."

"Only because I find insulting the potato bastard much more satisfying," Lovino tried to shrug off the blonde's compliment, but wasn't able to do anything about the heat rising in his cheeks. He wasn't used to dealing with praise.

"You're a good guy, Lovino," Alfred smirked, poking his friend's nose. "Even if you won't admit it."

* * *

oOo

* * *

A/N – Well, crap. I was going to cover more of the present day here, but the flashback scene sort of took over and here we are. Hopefully, you didn't mind too much. Lovi's such an awesome brother! Next chapter will be Flashback-free and introduce the main members of the Shipping Club (Yes, they really did make a club for that) and their respective Irises. I had fun coming up with those ones ^^

Oh, and the reason younger Lovino chose a complicated fake Iris over an easy one was because he wanted to make his family proud. He'd gather more recognition for an Iris that gave clues about other Irises than an Iris that revealed a picture he would draw in the future from the cloud formation. Of course, he was a kid when he decided on his fake Iris, so he didn't realize how hard it would be to pull off his tricky Iris-identifying "power" later on in life.

-Rajikka

**Translations**

**Fratello** – Brother (It.)

**Nonno** – Grandpa (It.)

**Tsundere** – A type of character seen in anime or manga known for appearing cold or hostile, but having a hidden sweet side. "Tsun Tsun" is the aloof or irritable side, while "Dere Dere" is the lovey dovey side. (Jp.)


	5. What Does the 'F' Stand For?

_Disclaimer: I don't own it, I just ship it _

_Warning: AU, strong language, boy x boy pairings, violence (more so bullying in the beginning), and because this was inspired by the manga _Iris Zero_, there may be some minor spoilers for it._

I was in a weird mood… :P

* * *

oOo

* * *

The final bell of the school day had long since rung. Many of the students were making their way to afterschool sports and clubs, others were relaxing in the library or café, but few were ready to pack up and go home. The two voices speaking in urgent, semi-hushed tones in the Student Council room were no different…With the door shut and the lights dim, it was anyone's guess what was really going on inside…

"Look, even if I _did_ want to, there's not enough room…"

"Lovino, you know this is an offer you can't refuse…"

"Watch me."

"Come here…I'll help you, if you're so scared."

"I'm not scared, dammit!" Lovino spat. "I'm just…I'm not ready for this, okay?!"

"Please, Lovino…?" Alfred was practically begging him at this point. "It can only be you!"

"Well, as much as I love having a guy on his knees for me…" Lovino rolled his eyes. "No, I won't."

"Aw, come on!" Alfred jumped up, clutching the other's arm. "You _have_ to! I know you want to!"

"Don't try to tell me what to do, bastard!" Lovino tried to squirm out of Alfred's strong hold, causing the blond to capture him in a bear hug. "It won't work!"

"Pleeeeeeeeease?!"

"I already said no!"

"Um…are you guys okay, in there?" Kiku's timid voice echoed from the other side of the door. "And even if you're not, may I come in? It's important."

"Uh, just a minute!" Alfred called back, releasing the Italian.

"What the hell?! Now you got Kiku thinking we're up to weird shit!" Lovino hissed, flicking on the rest of the lights (Alfred's insistence on secret agent-like secrecy be damned). "He's lying! You can come in, rice bastard!"

Kiku entered and took in the disheveled appearance of both boys. There had clearly been a scuffle, but over what? Kiku deeply regretted not installing private cameras in here when he had the chance. Even his Iris wasn't giving him a good clue unless 'Kill the hamburger bastard' and 'I wonder what Kiku's up to' were code for something else.

"What were you two doing in here?" he couldn't help but smirk.

"Nothing!" the Italian had the decency to blush.

"I was trying to get Lovino to sign off on being the next World Academy Police Commissioner!" Alfred complained. "But he won't listen to reason!"

"The Police Commissioner?"

"Some idiotic position Alfred made up to get me to save his ass on the Student Council," Lovino explained.

"So if Lovino takes this role, the two of you will be working closely together?" Kiku asked, raising an eyebrow. "Along with the rest of the Student Council, of course."

"Yep!" the blonde exclaimed proudly, placing a hand on Lovino's shoulder.

"Yeah, so maybe you could explain to this moron why that's a bad idea," the brunette gestured to Alfred. "I can't seem to get through to him at all."

"Actually, I think you should take the position, Lovino."

"What?!"

"Yes!" Alfred cheered, fist-pumping the air.

"I think it would be a perfect opportunity for you to interact with more students and have your voice be heard. You're one of the school's top students, correct?" Kiku smiled evenly. "And wouldn't it be a good opportunity for you to do something about the bullying problem World Academy has going on?"

"Well, I…I guess so…" Lovino seemed unsure.

"Awesome!" Alfred put the paper in front of the brunette and tossed his Japanese friend a thumbs up. "You're the best, Kiku!"

"Shut up, hamburger bastard. I'm only doing this to teach those other jackasses a lesson!" Lovino hastily scribbled out his name.

"I know…" Alfred smiled gleefully and looked over the paper. "Hey, you're right. There really wasn't much room for you to sign your name. I'll make the signature line bigger on your next contract."

"What do you mean my 'next contract?!'"

"So, what did you need, Kiku?" the blonde turned his attention to his quieter friend.

"Not much, just your signature to release the names of our next Student Council to the Newspaper Club to print," Kiku offered him the papers. "We pride ourselves on accuracy and quality writing, you know."

"I know," Alfred signed his name with flourish. "That's why I made you Secretary, after all!"

* * *

oOo

* * *

"So he wants you for Secretary, Arthur Kirkland for Treasurer, and Ludwig Beilschmidt for Vice-President?" Elizabeta looked over the list. "Surprisingly efficient team for him…Roderich won't even be able to complain."

"And Lovino Vargas for World Academy Police Commissioner."

"You're kidding."

"No."

"Well, _that_ sounds like a discussion for our other club…" she giggled. "Christmas must have come early this year!"

"Will there be anything else?" Kiku asked.

"Yes, I have another Newspaper Club assignment for you."

Kiku followed the brunette into another of her many offices. Elizabeta Héderváry was an extremely ambitious and driven honor student. Her freshman year, she started a club for fellow yaoi enthusiasts called the SHIP Club, short for Seeing Happiness In Pairings Club. (this caused confusion to the occasional student misinterpreting it as something nautical. Arthur Kirkland in particular was not happy when he had gone to check it out and was nearly forced to kiss Francis in a ridiculous mermaid costume). Elizabeta wrote the club charter as 'a club that spreads happiness to all.' She just happened to leave out the part about focusing on boy/boy couples. It brought new meaning to the phrase 'I'd ship that.' Her determination and willingness to go where no fan had gone before won her many followers. It was no surprise when she became Editor in Chief of the school newspaper…even if she _did_ use it as a way to gain information on OTP candidates. She's already accomplished more at World Academy than a politician could in any term. On paper, she's the perfect role model.

Inside Elizabeta's editor office was like being inside organized chaos. Piles upon piles of doujinshi rested on the far shelf. There were also at least a dozen bookmarks in each volume. It looked messy, but Kiku learned his Chief's method of color coding them by pairing (example: white = Ludwig and Feliciano, as both have naïve, pure feelings), genre (example: sci-fi = TARDIS blue) and overall graphicness (example: bright red = your nose will erupt into fountains of blood). If you asked her for a specific image or sample, she could pull it up instantly. On the opposite wall was a rotating whiteboard that held current article assignments on one side (which was often displayed for the sake of keeping up appearances) and photos of all her favorite couples along with their relationship progress on the other. Resting in one of the plush guest chairs was Mei. The transfer student from Taiwan was waiting with her completed assignment. She smiled kindly at them both and handed a report over to the brunette.

"Thank you both for all your hard work!" Elizabeta exclaimed. "You're helping me realize my dream of using my Iris and position to make happiness bloom for all the students of World Academy!"

A pause.

"And if they just so happen to be young, attractive men, then all the better!"

Kiku applauded her along with Mei, who was throwing confetti at the same time. Elizabeta was truly perfect for the job, especially when her Iris was taken into account. Kiku recalled the day she first explained it to him; he was jealous of how poetic it was. The SHIP Club president could see happiness bloom in the form of a flower over a person's heart. The happier the person was, the more beautiful their flower was. After sweeping up the confetti, Elizabeta gave Kiku his newest case.

"In a recent popularity poll, Alfred made the number one slot," she informed him. "This is fitting, since he's the new Student Council President."

"And what would you like me to do?"

"I want you to delve deeper into the mystery that is Alfred," she crossed her hands in front of her. "I want to know the answers to the questions keeping me and other fans awake at night…I want to know what exactly the 'F' in Alfred F. Jones stands for!"

"As you command…" he bowed and took his leave.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Kiku's first response was to discreetly look it up online (i.e. hack the school files) and was surprised to find nothing. Alfred was literally registered under 'F' for his middle name. He found that odd, so Kiku checked his facebook, twitter, and other social media accounts. The Japanese boy only got more of the same. If Alfred mentioned a middle name, he had simply used the letter 'F.'

Kiku decided to ask Feliciano about it when he passed him in the hall, since he and Alfred were in a lot of classes together. It also didn't hurt that Alfred was friends with Feliciano's brother. Unfortunately, Feli didn't have the answer Kiku was looking for. He was curious, so he asked why Kiku wanted to know.

"It's for the Newspaper Club," he explained. "I couldn't find any clues online, so I started asking people if they knew Alfred's middle name."

"Ve~! That sounds fun!" Feliciano bounced in place. "Can I come along too?"

Kiku allowed it, seeing no harm in it. People might even open up to him more with the bubbly Italian accompanying him. First on the list was Arthur, who had the privilege and pain of being Alfred's cousin. Kiku was close to him, so he wasn't concerned about Arthur's typical tsundere nature or having any difficulty tracking him down. A trip to the school café proved his point. The Brit was currently sipping a cup of tea alongside Francis (who was doing his best not to undress the spunky blonde with his eyes). If he didn't have his assignment, Kiku would have stopped to take a picture.

Well…he might, anyway. Mei would thank him later.

"Hello, Arthur. Francis," Kiku nodded his head to them.

"Kiku, pleasant surprise…" Arthur gestured for him to take a seat, but lost his smile when he saw the hyper Italian with him. That didn't bode well for his headache. He almost regretted inviting them to sit now. "Oh…and you brought Feliciano with you…"

"Ciao! Ciao!" Feli chirped.

"To what do we owe the pleasure?" Francis asked, casually draping an arm over Feliciano's shoulders. _He_ had no problem with excitable people, provided they were good-looking.

"Newspaper assignment for Elizabeta…"

Both blondes groaned.

"Relax, it's not about you two this time. It's about Alfred," Kiku explained, looking at the Brit. "Since you're his cousin, I thought you might have the answer."

"What did that wanker do this time?"

"Ve~! We're trying to figure out what his middle name is!" Feliciano cut in.

Arthur paled, while Francis chuckled and agreed that was a good question. They all turned to Arthur for confirmation.

"Oh, well, actually, I don't even know…" claimed the blonde tsundere.

Feliciano blindly accepted the answer, but Kiku could see from his Iris that Arthur was keeping it a secret. The comic-like thought bubble that appeared over Arthur's head read 'I can't tell…I promised not to…' Despite the fact that Arthur obviously knew, the skillful reporter chose not to press the issue. He didn't want to misuse his Iris or lose Arthur's trust.

"Why do you ask?" Francis tilted his head curiously.

"Alfredo won this month's popularity poll!" the brunette blurted out before Kiku could stop him.

"A-Alfred won…? He won over _moi?!_" Francis began throwing a hissy fit. "What is this travesty?!"

Kiku and Feli quickly bailed, leaving Arthur to deal with it.

* * *

oOo

* * *

The reporting duo continued making their way down Kiku's list of leads. Next, was Matthew, who was Alfred's elusive brother. He would certainly know, but Kiku was less familiar with him. Hopefully, he would be willing to talk to them.

After a twenty minute search around the school, Kiku amended that statement to hopefully they would be able to _find_ him first. How was such a shy person able to hide so well? His sneaking skills were on par with Kiku's ninja-like training (translation: watching too much anime).

Meanwhile, Matthew Jones looked up from his book. He had been sitting in plain sight on a bench outside the library, since the weather was so nice today. Kumajiro followed suit and poked his nose over his riveting science journal of arctic fish species native to Canada and the surrounding area.

"What are they doing…?" he asked his master, pointing a claw at the two strange boys running across the walkway, ducking behind trees and trash bins.

Matthew could only shrug and wonder why the wings on their backs looked so Curious today.

In the process of looking for Matthew, the two ran into Ludwig. Kiku knew the blonde had recently started working with Alfred as his Vice-President. Maybe he happened to read or overhear something…?

"His middle name? I'm sorry, but I have no idea," responded Ludwig. "Why do you want to know?"

"It's a special assignment from Elizabeta!" Feliciano piped up.

Kiku froze a little as he felt Ludwig's narrowed eyes rest on him.

"Is this really for the newspaper or for her _other_ club…the stalking one?"

"Ah, Ludwig-san, don't be silly!" the Japanese boy tried to laugh it off.

"I shouldn't have to remind you that I can see through lies…"

"Oh! Look at the time!" Kiku grabbed Feliciano's sleeve. "We must be going! Lots of people to interview!"

Feliciano followed happily, despite Ludwig's complaints.

* * *

oOo

* * *

What on earth did the 'F' stand for?! Why didn't anyone know?! The mystery deepened and Kiku grew more and more impatient. He had never had this much trouble with an assignment before! This was ridiculous! _What did the 'F' stand for?!_

"I don't know," Matthias scratched his head, before grinning. "But I always suspected it was 'fucking.' As in Alfred Fucking Jones!"

"Thank you, but I don't think we can publish that…"

They even left for the nearby arcade where Alfred occasionally hung out with some of his old classmates, despite going to different schools now. They were all too happy to talk to Kiku and Feliciano.

"Oh, we always called him Alfred 'Fire Alarm' Jones on account that he always pulled the fire alarm to get out of tests he forgot to study for back in middle school!"

"…I could see that," mused Kiku.

"I had no idea Alfredo was a delinquent!" the brunette gasped.

"Ain't your brother the Iris Zero?" one asked. He shared a bus with some World Academy students in the morning, so he overheard a few conversations.

"That makes him like the _King_ of Delinquents, don't it?" another added.

"W-What'd you say about my brother?!" Feliciano flailed his arms in their general direction. Kiku quickly dragged him kicking and wailing out of the arcade. "You don't even _know_ him!"

One dish of calming gelato later and the reporters were back on campus and back on the case. Tino passed by and he seemed as knowledgeable as anyone. (Yes, they had gotten that desperate).

"Hmm…Probably 'Franklin' since that's an old-fashioned name like Alfred," Tino smiled sweetly.

"That is logical," Kiku agreed. "I wish we could back it up, though…"

"Ve~! 'Alfred Franklin Jones' has a nice ring to it!"

Professor Carlos Machado passed by them next.

"Fatass," was all he said.

"Uh…Are you allowed to say that about a student?" the Italian asked.

"You can say that because you don't see all the filth he eats everyday!" the Cuban shot back.

"That's…an interesting Iris…" Kiku laughed weakly.

"It's a curse! Being able to see what a person has eaten! Horrible!" he continued ranting. "I can't even watch a McDonald's _commercial_ without feeling sick thanks to that brat!"

By now, both were tired and no closer to achieving their goal than when they first started out. They passed by Lovino, who was reading something in the library. Deciding it was worth a shot; they walked over and asked him if he had any idea what the 'F' stood for.

"Frillybottoms," he calmly replied, after setting his book down.

Both chuckled at this, but Lovino insisted he wasn't joking.

"Yes, but _Frillybottoms?_"

"You doubt the word of Alfred's newest friend?"

"Um…"

Kiku focused his Iris on Lovino, who arched an eyebrow.

'_Frillybottoms, Frillybottoms, Frillybottoms_…'

"I see you've figured out my Iris, then…" the black-haired boy sighed.

"I don't know _what_ you're talking about," the green-eyed Italian smirked.

* * *

oOo

* * *

In the end, they reported their findings to Elizabeta, who burst out laughing at Lovino's answer. She suggested writing it as a comedic anonymous source. That way it wouldn't discredit their accuracy and would still be entertaining to read.

Sure enough, the school found it hilarious. Alfred was mortified. He complained to it to Lovino over lunch the day after it was printed.

"And here I thought you'd like the name…"

"_You_ were the one who made that up?!"

"I told you not to call me 'Lovi' or you'd regret it."

"Just when I thought we were getting to be such good friends…" Alfred ate his pudding with a pout.

"So what _is_ your middle name, bastard?" Lovino laughed.

"I-It's, uh, well, actually, it's kind of embarrassing…"

"More embarrassing than "Frillybottoms?"

Alfred nodded.

"Well, now you _have_ to tell me."

"What? No, I don't! You'd just laugh."

"Yeah, I probably will, but it's only fair. I've been telling you all kinds of things about my life, nosy bastard," he shrugged dramatically. "Unless you don't really trust me…I guess we're not friends after all…"

"You are _so_ evil…"

"Yep, so spill."

Alfred sighed and leaned over to whisper it into the Italian's ear.

"Fine, it's—"

Lovino's resounding laughter could be heard from all corners of the campus that afternoon.

* * *

oOo

* * *

A/N – Yep, these are the weird things I think of late at night. Does _anyone_ even know Alfred's middle name? Last I checked, Himaruya suggested "Foster" or "Franklin" on his blog, but didn't confirm anything, saying the mystery only deepens...Yeah. My money's on "Fiona" XD

-Rajikka

**Translations**

**Fratello** – Brother (It.)

**Tsundere** – A type of character seen in anime or manga known for appearing cold or hostile, but having a hidden sweet side. "Tsun Tsun" is the aloof or irritable side, while "Dere Dere" is the lovey dovey side. (Jp.)

**Ciao** - Hello (It.)

**Moi** – Me (Fr.)


	6. Alfred vs the Bet

_Disclaimer: I don't own it, I just ship it _

_Warning: AU, strong language, boy x boy pairings, violence (more so bullying in the beginning), and because this was inspired by the manga _Iris Zero_, there may be some minor spoilers for it._

Glad you all seemed to like the mystery that is Alfred's middle name. Unless Himaruya comes up with something canon, I'll come up with something…_suitable_ when the time comes. I've already got several good ideas from you guys XD

* * *

oOo

* * *

Gilbert Beilschmidt walked down the hallways flanked by his two best friends/wingmen. People quickly stepped aside to let the three boys who had come to be known as the Bad Touch Trio through. Gilbert smirked. Was it his awesome swagger? His awesome Iris? The sheer amounts of awesome his awesome body seemed to give off in waves? Probably...But to give credit where it's due, most of them just wanted to shield themselves from Antonio's dazzling smile or avoid Francis's wandering hands.

"C'mon guys, we better get going," Gilbert's eyes flickered over a group of underclassmen chatting nearby. "Kesesese! We can watch our masterpiece from a distance!"

The trio picked up their pace and seconds later stream after stream of soda erupted from the chemistry room. Someone had rigged a system to lower Mentos tablets into several deep pans of Dt. Coke, causing them to shoot off in staggered intervals. Several people were caught up in the crossfire and began shrieking as they were drenched in sticky soda. By the time the custodian could intervene, other students and pranksters-in-training saw only the aftermath. Whatever device the jokers had used destroyed itself in the soda blasts, successfully eliminating any evidence or way to copy them. Everyone knew who the culprits were, but so far, nobody had ever been able to prove it.

The custodian angrily slammed his mop to the floor, reminding himself once again that Beilschmidt, Carriedo, and Bonnefoy were in their senior year. He just had to make it through the rest of this year and he would be free of the little spawns of Satan forever.

* * *

oOo

* * *

_Far away in Gotham City, its newest Police Commissioner was powering up the Bat-Signal until it was shining bright enough to be seen anywhere in the city. Dark clouds spiraled overhead and rain threatened to spill from the stormy sky. The young Commissioner fidgeted with his sleek trenchcoat (he looked extra-cool in a trenchcoat) as he anxiously waited for the hero to show and save the day. _

"_What seems to be the matter, Commissioner?" the Dark Knight asked, smirking as the other man jumped slightly._

"_It's a damn good thing you came, Batman…" Lovino spat out the toothpick he'd been clenching between his flawless white teeth. "Gotham City needs you now more than ever!" _

"What seems to be the problem?" Alfred mumbled, not realizing he was responding to his inner-monologue.

"…Alfred, are you even listening to me?" Roderich's stern voice snapped the American out of his daze.

"Oh, Roderich! When did you get here, dude?"

The Austrian grumbled something into the palm he was introducing to his face. Tino and Feliciano chuckled good-naturedly at the sight. The handful of other student representatives who gathered at school early after Roderich had them contacted for an emergency meeting appeared to be just as tired as their President. They were eager for the Student Council to hold their first official meeting and take over general affairs, so the Austrian would take them off of speed dial.

"I _said_ you need to be more aware of the Academy's current situation!" fumed Roderich.

"Oh, are you talking about the Coke and Mentos prank the Bad Touch Trio pulled?" he asked. "I heard the Engineering students get extra credit if they can figure out how the Mentos machine worked…One of Gilbert's creations, right?"

Ludwig ignored the question directed at him. He'd long since given up trying to talk sense into his brother. It was times like these that he pretended he was adopted.

"You probably shouldn't brush it off like it's nothing," Elizabeta defused the situation before Roderich snapped. "Just last week they somehow got enough instant Jello into the water fountain outside to make it solidify. It still smells a little like strawberries…"

"B-But we don't actually know it's them…" Feliciano offered. He hated to accuse them without evidence. What if they were actually innocent?

"Don't be naïve, Feliciano," Roderich frowned. He felt confident without Arthur there to protect his French boyfriend from the Austrian's accusations. Roderich had been less confident at six in the morning when he woke the Brit up from what must have been 3 hours of sleep if the very 'ungentlemanly' language he all but snarled at him was anything to go by. "We all know they're the ones causing this chaos."

"Then…why are you bringing it up now?" Alfred asked. "They've been doing it for years, haven't they?"

"That's right! They've gotten away with it for years!"

"…So?"

"So, it's now _your_ job to do something about it!"

"Figures…" Alfred grumbled, wishing he had taken the time to stop for coffee, before showing up. All this pressure forming in his brain was going to give him a headache.

Roderich was a good student and a hard-worker, which is why he usually made Student Council. However, Roderich was also uptight and unwilling to embrace change of any kind, which was why Alfred avoided choosing him as his second-in-command. Ludwig could at least be convinced to have fun when the need called for it…or someone called for a certain energetic Italian. Feliciano could get anyone to loosen up, even if he wasn't as cool as his older brother. Before Feli, Alfred had been certain both Ludwig and Kiku's stoic expressions were carved onto their faces like stone. Even Feliciano would have been a better choice for any position over Roderich (in the American's opinion).

Yet somehow, despite all odds, Roderich still wormed his way into Student Council affairs. Taking a cue from Alfred, he created a new position for himself – Student Council Adviser Assistant. Naturally, his uncle/current Student Council Adviser was all for it. He backed his nephew's claim that he was very busy, so Roderich could help act in his stead when he was unable. Initially, a few suggested electing a new Adviser, but the Headmaster declined. Headmaster Shinawatra said Professor Edelstein had been an upstanding Adviser for several years now. He believed there was no harm in letting Roderich help out every now and then. It would shape him to be an equally good Adviser down the road.

"…Do you think you'll be able to do something about them, Alfred?" Elizabeta asked Alfred with a grin. She had her own ideas of why he was so distracted today.

"All right, I'll do it!" Alfred agreed, in full Hero mode. "Freedom prevails! Let my shield of justice protect what is important! Ha, ha, ha! Remember, even demons run when a good man goes to war!"

The room was filled with a couple cheers, some clapping, more than a few grumbles, and one very rabid fangirl hastily scribbling down notes for the fantasy doujinshi the American had just inspired.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Alfred wasn't the sort of guy who liked to beat around the bush. He figured the best way to get Gilbert and the others to ease up on the pranks was to talk to them directly. They'd probably be understanding enough when Alfred explained the situation to them. He didn't know them all that well, but knew they weren't as bad as Roderich was making them out to be.

'_I'm sure we'll be able to work something out_…' Alfred thought, as he turned a corner and nearly crashed into them. He blinked. '…_Is that Lovino?_'

Sure enough, Lovino was currently cussing the trio out while Antonio glomped onto him saying something about tomatoes. The others laughed and Alfred couldn't help but recall all the terrible pranks the trio had pulled in the past…Lovino was in real danger!

'_I'm gonna kick their asses!_'

Lovino wasn't aware of the blonde as he drove the top of his head into Antonio's chin in order to free himself from his overprotective cousin's grasp. He didn't need that Spanish jerk to make him look weak and cause a scene in front of Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumber, much less any actual bullies who passed them in the hallway. As Antonio stumbled backwards, he bumped into Alfred, surprising them both.

"Sorry, amigo!" the brunette apologized, still holding his now-injured chin. "Didn't see you there!"

"Alfred?" Lovino blinked. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I came here to save you!" the blonde intervened heroically, pulling the Italian away from the pranksters and closer to his side. "Don't worry, I won't let them do anything to you!"

"Wait, what?!" Lovino blushed despite himself. "W-What the fuck do you mean by that, bastard?!"

"I thought they were going to pull a prank on you," Alfred explained. "The last one ended up flooding half the science wing, so I was a little worried…"

"Kesesese! Isn't that just _precious?_" Gilbert barked. "The hero swoops in to save the day!"

"Does that make us the villains?" Antonio asked, troubled by the term. He didn't think of himself as a bad guy.

"You bastards aren't exactly model students…" Lovino rolled his eyes.

"But we would never _dream_ of doing anything to you, mon cher," Francis purred. "Unless you wanted us to, of course. Ohonhonhon!"

"Whatever, creepy bastard," Lovino shot back, but still ducked behind Alfred ever so slightly. Better safe than sorry, even if Alfred and his own cousin were there to keep the frog's wandering hands in check. The Italian typically didn't have to deal with that kind of attention, so he was unused to handling it in ways that didn't involve threats and cursing.

Alfred felt Lovino's unease and interpreted it as feeling unsafe as long as those three delinquents were on the loose. The brunette already had enough on his plate without having to worry about the Bad Touch Trio playing some dumb prank on him. The blonde's inner-Hero was fueled further and he was ready to go all Captain America on the trio without a second thought.

"You guys need to back off with the practical jokes," he began. "Not everyone is laughing about them."

"Then they have a shitty sense of humor," Gilbert shrugged. "Did Roderich put you up to this?"

"I'm the Student Council President. That means it's everyone's problem, not just his."

"Kesesese! I knew it!" grinned the albino. "He's such a dick. I swear his only goal is to crash the Jenga tower that is our life."

"You still need to quit pulling your stunts at school," was all Alfred could say. He couldn't exactly argue Gilbert's point about Roderich.

"It's not like we're _hurting_ anyone…" added Antonio.

"And you can't prove it was actually us," Francis winked.

"Doesn't matter. It still needs to stop."

"Hmm…Tell ya what, Herr Präsident, you've got balls standing up to us, so we'll make this interesting…" Gilbert's face broke into a wide grin.

"What do you mean?" Alfred asked, ignoring the groan from the Italian behind him.

"Let's make a bet!" the self-proclaimed Prussian's eyes lit up. "If you win, we'll cease and desist with the pranks, but if we win, then everyday is April Fool's day."

"Depends on the bet…" the blonde crossed his arms.

"Oh, it's real easy – you just have to figure out what my Iris does by the end of the day."

"Hmm…sounds simple enough…" Alfred mulled it over.

"Exactly!" Gilbert held out his hand to shake on it. "You figure that out and we'll be perfect little angels for the rest of the year!"

"You can't be serious," Lovino huffed. "Alfred, this is obviously a trap to make the school free territory."

All three seniors looked aghast that Lovino could even insinuate their motives were any less pure than the first snowflake of winter. Alfred thought they looked genuinely shocked. Lovino thought they looked full of shit.

"I think it'll be okay, Lovino," Alfred smiled. "This is the easiest way to end their reign of terror."

"And what a reign it's been," Gilbert couldn't help but laugh.

"Dammit, Alfred!" the tsundere growled. "Don't be an idiot! It's a tra—"

"You've got yourself a deal!" the President shook hands with the Prussian.

* * *

oOo

* * *

The warning bell had caused the crowds to head towards their respective homerooms, but Lovino hung back to yell at Alfred for being such a moron. Why didn't he listen to him? He knew what kind of games the Bad Touch Trio liked to play and this was one of them. Why couldn't he get this through the blonde's thick skull?

"I'm sure it'll work itself out, Lovino," Alfred patted his back, to reassure his friend. "I've got all day to figure it out."

"Fine, but at least let me help you," the tsundere crossed his arms. "Lord knows you'll need it."

"That's okay, buddy. I can handle it!" the American puffed out his chest. "I'll figure it out in no time!"

"Don't be an idiot!" snapped Lovino. "If I'm going to bother to offer you help, the least you can do is graciously accept it!"

Alfred laughed, thanking his friend again, but insisted he try to figure out Gilbert's Iris on his own. He was still in protective mode and didn't want to pull Lovino in any deeper than he was already. This was also a great chance for Alfred to prove himself to be a good president! Excitement rippled through his body. He could do this!

By the time Alfred made it to his homeroom class, there was enough time to tell Ludwig, Kiku, and Feliciano about the great deal he worked out with Gilbert. Feliciano beamed and agreed it was a nice way to settle the argument fair and square. He hated fighting. As Alfred was about to thank him for having his back, Ludwig flat-out offered to tell Alfred his brother's Iris to get Gil to behave, but Alfred declined, saying it was something he had to do himself. He couldn't take the easy route out of his bet with Gilbert. That wouldn't look good for the new president.

Kiku shared Ludwig's concern and offered to help him figure it out. He said he didn't know what it was either, but he's good at gathering information. That way, it would be fair. Nothing in the bet said Alfred had to do it alone. There wasn't anything wrong with using the resources at his disposal, right? If anything, he would be expected to do so. Still, Alfred thanked him, but declined the black-haired boy's offer.

Feliciano cheered Alfred on, while the other two Student Council members shared a look. As the bell rang, they silently agreed to tell Arthur about the situation. Maybe he could talk some sense into his cousin before it was too late…

* * *

oOo

* * *

The stakes were high on Alfred's first official mission as the Student Council President, but he believed in himself. He waved good-naturedly to Gilbert and the others in the hallway when he passed them. They waved back, but began howling in laughter as he passed.

Alfred had planned on waiting for his study period to look up Gilbert's school file, but something about that laughter didn't sit right with him. He whipped out his phone and brought up his internet browser. A few button presses later got him nowhere. Listing your Iris upon enrollment was optional and it looked like Gilbert chose to opt out of it. Alfred had figured he'd be the bragging sort, but didn't let it bother him. He opened up every social networking program from facebook to Xbox Live to some random battle MMORPG he and the albino played from time to time…Nothing.

This didn't make any sense. Gilbert was the kind of guy who bragged about his pet bird's girlfriend…how the hell could he keep his mouth shut about his own Iris?! No, no…nothing to worry about. He must have missed something. There was no way the albino could keep a secret this well. Everything was fine.

…Okay, maybe he was getting a _little_ worried.

During gym class, Alfred felt someone nudge his shoulder. Was it his turn to bat already?

"Al, you okay?" his brother asked him from his spot next to him on the wooden bench in the dugouts.

"Mattie? When did you get here?"

"I've been here the whole time, you're the one who's been zoned out," Matthew's cheeks puffed out slightly. Dealing with his older brother was such a pain, sometimes.

Normally, Alfred would just wave off his worry, but Matthew was his brother. He'd see through him anyway. No sense in lying about it because deep down he was feeling troubled. The day was almost half-over and he was nowhere closer to figuring out Gilbert's Iris. Alfred sighed and filled in his brother on the whole thing. He told him about the request to have the BTT stop pulling pranks, the bet with Gilbert, and how crappy his investigation was going so far.

"I just want to do a good job and show people I can be reliable," Alfred hung his head, staring at his shadow hopelessly. "I want them to feel like they can depend on me."

"Have you tried using your Iris?" his brother asked, his voice wavering slightly.

"It's kind of hard to, since the only people who know for sure are Ludwig, Antonio, Francis, and Elizabeta."

"Is there anyone else?"

"Nah, I stopped searching for that," Alfred shrugged as they stood up to switch positions and take the outfield. "I'm mostly searching for clues now."

"Good luck, Al," Matthew patted his back as they jogged out.

"Thanks, bro!" Alfred managed to smile, pulling the brim of his hat further down. The sun was at that annoying angle of peeking over the school building and shining directly in his face. At least it was still warm out...

Even though he was pitching for his team, the Hero still found the time to go over what he knew about Gilbert's mysterious Iris. Maybe it was because baseball was like second nature to him? Maybe it was because he knew next to nothing about the albino's Iris? Damn…

The batter hit a pop fly towards left-field where Matthew was standing. The younger Jones brother was less focused on the game and more focused on his brother's dilemma. He didn't even see the ball flying his direction until it was too late.

"Heads up, Birdie!" Gilbert called from the bleachers of the second field.

"Eh?" Matthew snapped back to attention and managed to shield himself with his glove, catching the ball and avoiding a concussion. "Th-Thanks!"

Alfred watched the scene unfold from the pitcher's mound. Gilbert had been a couple hundred meters away! How did he even _see_ that? Maybe his Iris gave him extra-good vision? Or warned him when others were in trouble? That would be cool… Alfred would have loved an Iris like that. Then he'd really be like a hero!

"Ugh…this is no time to think of Irises _I_ want…" the American cleared his head by shaking it. "I gotta figure out what _his_ Iris is…"

* * *

oOo

* * *

Lunch rolled around and Alfred was beginning to feel that sense of drowning in a problem that was over his head. Arthur had even tracked him down to support him in that special, compassionate way only he could manage.

"You bloody idiot! What the hell were you thinking?! Of course it was a trap!"

"Thanks, Artie," Alfred groaned, resting his head on the table. "That never crossed my mind."

"Apparently not, or you wouldn't have taken the stupid bet! Even a _child_ could have figured that one out!" Arthur fumed. "You'd get in a car with a stranger if they offered you enough candy, wouldn't you?"

"Leave it to you to make me feel better."

"I wouldn't have to chew you out as much if you actually used what little common sense you possess, git!"

"I don't suppose you have any suggestions that involve not yelling at me, do you?" Alfred asked.

"Besides consulting the other Student Council members when you're making such reckless decisions?!"

"Well…Lovino was there," protested the American. "He counts."

"Oh? And he agreed that taking Gilbert's brainless bet was a good idea?"

"Uh…no, actually he didn't."

"Well, there you go!" Arthur raged on. Unlike his oblivious cousin, he knew exactly how crazy Francis and the others could get with their 'practical jokes.' If they were given free reign of the school...he didn't want to think about the chaos they would cause. "You never listen to anyone else's opinion when it counts! You're always getting yourself ass-deep into trouble and making things worse before they get any better! I'll never understand how someone so irresponsible ended up being the Student Council President! You have a team, use them!"

"You're a fine one to talk…" Alfred mumbled. "You'd use a drowning teammate as a stepping stone to cross a raging river and call it teamwork…"

"Why you—"

Alfred tuned him out for the remainder of lunch, feeling worse about not listening to Lovino. He had been right about the whole thing, after all. If only he'd listened to him instead of getting so caught up in proving he was the best President in all the land.

"Damn…I really messed up…" the blonde groaned.

"That's what I've been _telling_ you!" Arthur threw his hands up in exasperation.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Alfred had tried asking around some of the staff he actually trusted about Gilbert's Iris when asking students got him nowhere. He had even devised a fake report and played if off as a survey for his marketing class to learn about the school's population. Alfred had been so proud of it…he even fooled his old marketing teacher! Things were starting to look up…and then he ran into Gilbert.

"Ooh, nice ploy, but not good enough."

"What do you mean?" Alfred snatched his fake report back from the Prussian.

"I'm saying it's a good try, but next time you need to try…gooder."

Alfred tried to ignore the nagging voice in the back of his head (that had familiar British accent for some _unfathomable_ reason) that complained about Gilbert slandering the English language.

"Kesesese! Are you ready to give up?"

"Not a chance!" Alfred's voice sounded a lot more confident than he actually felt.

"I can just imagine all the fun I'm going to have once you lose the bet and the school is mine for the taking…" his red eyes gleamed. "First I think I'll dump itching powder in everyone's gym uniforms and—"

The albino stopped short, stared at the wall in front of them, and hightailed it out of there in a flash.

"Gotta run! Good luck, Herr Präsident!" he waved over his shoulder. "You'll need it, kesesese!"

Alfred was about to open his mouth to ask why he was bailing so suddenly when he heard Roderich approach…and he wasn't alone. No, that would be too easy. Beside him was none other than Headmaster Shinawatra.

"There's our star president in the flesh!" Kasem Shinawatra chortled. "How are you doing, Alfred?"

"Fine, sir…" the blonde forced a smile and hoped that the jolly man didn't notice how fake it was.

"I heard you're personally handling the school pranking situation…" Roderich narrowed his eyes as if to subtly tell Alfred somebody squealed on him and he knew all about the stupid bet with Gilbert and boy, was he pissed about it.

"I have a feeling it will be resolved by the end of the day!" Alfred said brightly. At least he was honest about it being resolved…maybe not the way the Headmaster or Roderich would like, but resolved nonetheless.

"…That _is_ good news, Alfred," Roderich seemed thrown for a loop. Once he found his footing, he resumed his façade of confidence and butt-kissing. "As I said, Headmaster, we can expect great things from our new President…_right_, Alfred?"

"You bet!" Alfred winced a little. If the looks Arthur sometimes shot him could be considered 'snake-like' Roderich's current expression was 'python-biting-a-baby-bunny's-jugular.'

Alfred watched the current group leave him and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. When did his job get so complicated, anyway? He sure hoped they let him keep it if he somehow screwed this up. Surely, Roderich would find it in his heart to not blame him for everything in his report to the Headmaster.

And of course reality was there to crush his dreams like a disgruntled dentist in a candy store.

"…Balls."

* * *

oOo

* * *

Alfred's fears were only growing when he was no closer to solving the case as the 5 PM bell drew near (Gilbert had given him an extra hour out of the kindness of his heart). He really wanted to do a good job, but was worried he might fail his very first assignment. He didn't want to disappoint anyone…especially those who helped put him in the presidential role.

Alfred could still recall when he reported he couldn't find the next president, the majority of the room started to turn on him. In the sea of X's, only Arthur, Kiku, Feliciano, and a handful of others believed in his power. Lovino had even embarrassed himself to give him (and the non-believers) the final clue that led to Alfred getting elected. That couldn't have been easy for any of them, so while he did his best to put on a smile and a positive attitude, Alfred felt like he was letting them down.

Fortunately, the cracks in his armor didn't go unnoticed.

From his perch on the second floor lobby, Lovino scoffed. He had glanced out the large window to his right, catching glimpses of (no way was he actually _watching_) Alfred, as he ran around the school. The blonde still hadn't given up his hunt to solve the mystery of the albino idiot's Iris.

_How hard is it to search for someone qualified to tell him and then get them to spill?_

Lovino was glad he wasn't being dragged around by him…that would have been a pain. He certainly wasn't feeling left out or anything. What did he care that the crazy blonde wanted to do this all on his own? That would just be stupid. Who would _want_ to be caught up in another one of Alfred's dumb "missions" or whatever?

"Cheh…He looks worried…" the Italian thought out loud. "Hmph. Serves him right. Arrogant bastard."

Lovino was only able to watch Alfred fret for a few more minutes before he stood up to track him down in the Main Commons area the blonde just entered. The brunette had never seen him look so anxious…not that he was worried about him or anything. It's not like Lovino would lose any sleep over the stupid bet Alfred got himself suckered into. He was just going to check on him because he was the Police Commissioner and was apparently supposed to care about the well-being of other students (or whatever bullshit Alfred sold to the Headmaster).

He found Alfred slumped on a bench outside the Clocktower, waiting for the BTT to show. Lovino sat beside him with a huff.

"I can't believe you…" he complained. "You're always telling me to open up and accept help, so you should do the same…especially with your Police Commissioner."

"You're right," Alfred managed a weak laugh. "I wish I realized that sooner and spent the day trying to figure it out with you instead of by myself."

Lovino just blinked, not expecting the American to admit that so easily.

"I'm sorry, Lovino," he apologized. "You're dependable, I should have relied on you more. I learned my lesson, but now it's too late and Gilbert's going to win the bet."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that…" Lovino's lips twitched upwards into a grin.

"Huh?"

"Are you ready to admit defeat, Herr Präsident?" the albino asked smugly, walking over with the others.

Alfred sighed and his shoulders drooped. Gilbert's eyes flickered to the floor and smirked.

"I see you never figured it out! You probably don't even have the slightest clue about my awesome power!"

Alfred gritted his teeth, about to admit defeat when Lovino cut in.

"You see a person's future by looking at their shadows."

For a few seconds, everyone stared at the Italian in stunned silence.

"That's impossible! How the hell did you figure that out?!" Gilbert shouted, shooting a glare at Antonio.

"Wasn't me, amigo!"

Gilbert's glare traveled to the French boy on his left.

"How could you suspect moi?" Francis gasped dramatically.

"Did you forget, Potato Bastard #2?" Lovino's grin only grew. "I practically did this for a living through half of elementary school."

"Fine then. Explain it, if it was so easy."

"I'll even use little words, so that you understand…" he rolled his eyes. The four boys watched him expectantly as Lovino cleared his throat. "You always look down on others."

"What?!" the albino exclaimed. To be fair, the others looked just as confused.

"Some could argue that's in your nature, but you look even lower than that," the tsundere clarified. "Every time you make a decision about someone or something you glance at their shadow. That means shadows are important somehow."

"How do you know I'm not looking at the actual person?"

"Because you look past them. And a few times, you were too far away to see the person or anything on them clearly, so you had to of been watching something else—their shadow," he continued. "In the field, you knew that Matthew was going to get hit by the baseball before it happened, but he should have been too far away for you to see him clearly. The only thing that was big enough for you to see was his shadow because it was early morning and the sun made it longer."

"How do you know I see what's going to happen, instead of what already happened or—"

"Because that's too much info for your tiny potato brain to process," Lovino cut him off. It had also been his experience that Irises focused on one big aspect, not multiple ones. "You always know what will happen and you proved it by bragging about it – like with Alfred. You saw his shadow look bummed about not figuring out your power, so you took the bet, even extending the time limit. With Roderich, you saw his shadow appear on the wall with the Headmaster before you saw them, so you bailed to avoid a lecture. And I already told you how you called out to Matthew in the field before the baseball could hit him."

"Well, shit," Gilbert had nothing more to say. He hadn't even realized Lovino was around when he was rattling off all his prank ideas to Alfred earlier. Was this part of Alfred's secret plan? Maybe Kiku was training Lovino to be a ninja too? Dammit, he _knew_ he should have had Toni and Franny spy on the other Student Council members.

"I guess this means no more pranks…" Antonio sighed gloomily.

"Back to being boring…" Francis agreed.

"Actually…don't worry about it."

Everyone turned to face Alfred.

"I like pulling pranks too," he admitted with a grin. "As long as you guys don't get too out of hand, it should be okay."

"R-Really?" both brunettes said simultaneously with different levels of enthusiasm in their voices.

"Woo hoo!" Gilbert cheered. "I'm glad I voted for you after all!"

"You didn't vote at all, idiot," Lovino reminded him. "You're not a Class Rep."

"Well, time to go, boys!" Francis smiled, pulling his friends away before Alfred could change his mind. "Adieu Alfred, Lovino!"

"Seeya!" Alfred waved back. He was glad things had worked out for the best in the end.

"You're _way_ too nice for your own good, bastard."

"Then it's a good thing I've got you on my side to look out for me!" the blonde chirped, catching the Police Commissioner by surprise.

"I-I…that's…shut up, bastard!" Lovino punched Alfred's shoulder and silently swore he would learn to control his blushing sooner than later.

"Oh, that reminds me, I've been meaning to ask you something about your new job…" the blonde grinned.

"What is it?" he raised an eyebrow, not even bothering to ask why a punch in the arm of all things reminded him of official Student Council business.

"…How do you feel about trenchcoats?"

* * *

oOo

* * *

A/N – …Because I can't very well write a school fic with the BTT _not_ raising hell, can I?

This one ended up being longer than originally planned, so hopefully nobody died or fell asleep in the process of reading this chapter… ^^ I was trying to avoid a cliffhanger and didn't have enough stuff for two chapters, so…you get this extra-long chapter! XD

-Rajikka

**Translations**

**Tsundere** – A type of character seen in anime or manga known for appearing cold or hostile, but having a hidden sweet side. "Tsun Tsun" is the aloof or irritable side, while "Dere Dere" is the lovey dovey side. (Jp.)

**Kasem ****Shinawatra** – A made-up human name for Thailand. "Kasem" means "Happiness" in Thai, while "Shinawatra" means "Does good routinely" (Thai)

**Mon cher** – My dear (Fr.)

**Herr Präsident** – Mr. President (Ger.)

**Amigo** – Friend (Sp.)

**Moi** – Me (Fr.)

**Adieu** – Farewell (Fr.)


	7. Chasing Butterflies

_Disclaimer: I don't own it, I just ship it _

_Warning: AU, strong language, boy x boy pairings, violence (more so bullying in the beginning), and because this was inspired by the manga _Iris Zero_, there may be some minor spoilers for it._

Thanks again for all of the feedback from last chapter! This one focuses on a single character a bit more to give you some insight into their world. I'll have a couple of these sprinkled throughout the story to help develop the other characters more. Since I'm a biased little fangirl, Lovino is still going to be the main focus of the fic, these are just brief outlets for some of the other characters to get a turn in the spotlight.

I also included a special side-story at the end of this chapter for all of my awesome consulting detective readers XD

* * *

oOo

* * *

Sunlight drifted through the large windows that made up the library entrance. The sun was beginning to set in the sky, casting an orange glow over everything. Kiku and Arthur made their way back from the library after another long day of studying. It had been a rough week already (even by their standards) and they still had three more tests to go. Kiku had been complaining about Yong Soo using his Iris that allowed him to see test answers, which was a-okay in the eyes of his family.

"They'll stand behind Yong Soo being lazy and using his Iris to ace all his tests, but threaten to disown me if I get anything lower than a 90%..." he sighed.

"I know the feeling…" Arthur chuckled humorlessly. He was all too familiar with being held to crazy standards by his own family. Living up to his big brothers was no easy task, either.

"Here, this is for you," Kiku placed something round and smooth into his friend's hand. "A charm for your upcoming tests."

"Hmm…a rabbit," the blonde looked at the small white stone resting in the palm of his hand. It had black paint to outline the rabbit's ears, face, and tail.

"Yes, to bring you good luck."

"Whoever said rabbits were lucky?"

"Eh?"

"It's nothing," Arthur smiled, waving it off. "Thank you for the charm, good luck to you too."

The two waved farewell and parted at the school gates. Arthur took the charm out of his pocket, turning it over with his fingers. His eyes darkened slightly, as he repeated himself.

"Whoever said rabbits were lucky…?"

* * *

oOo

* * *

As a boy, he was free. His brothers were next in line to inherit the family business, leaving Arthur, the fourth child free to be a kid. He often spent his days reading fairy tales in the family library or exploring the small forest that grew just beyond his backyard.

One day, he found an injured rabbit in the meadow where the most beautiful flowers grew. At first he thought it was a white rabbit with black spots, but as he got closer, he realized the "spots" were actually black butterflies.

"H-Hold on! I'll help you!" the five year old exclaimed, pulling out his handkerchief to wrap the rabbit's injured side in.

Blood continued to spill from the rabbit's wound, seeping through both Arthur's handkerchief and his fingers. The animal began breathing slower and slower, causing the boy's eyes to well up with tears. With each raspy breath the rabbit took, the more black butterflies seemed to flock to it. Arthur tried to bat them away, but it was no use. Eventually, the rabbit was covered in them.

"Get back!" Arthur shouted at the black butterflies. "Go away!"

Still more butterflies swarmed to the spot on the grass where the rabbit lay. The blonde swung at them wildly, not understanding why they remained. He'd chased butterflies before and they always flew away. Were these ones cursed? Maybe they somehow hurt the rabbit he was struggling to save.

In an instant, the butterflies took off, flying in every direction, far away from the rabbit. Arthur was initially happy they left, but saddened when he pressed his hands to the rabbit…it was cold. The rabbit had died.

Not caring that he was getting rabbit blood all over his pants, Arthur tucked his knees under his chin, buried his face in his arms, and began to cry. He wasn't sure how much time had passed until he was joined by another person in the meadow.

"What's wrong?" a pretty girl asked him in a heavily accented voice.

Arthur looked up at her, recognizing her accent as French. She was wearing a white dress trimmed with soft lace and a small white parasol. Her blue eyes were filled with worry and framed by her shoulder-length golden hair.

"It…It died…" Arthur blubbered, trying to explain. "I tried to save it, but the butterflies…they killed it…"

"You see butterflies?" the girl asked, wonder replacing the worry in her eyes. "Are you a fairy too?"

Arthur shakily stood up and wiped his eyes on his clean sleeve. Did he hear her right? Was this girl actually a fairy? She was certainly pretty enough to be one… The shorter of the two was convinced that she was after helping him bury the rabbit, find some flowers for it, and then praying for its soul to fly to Bunny Heaven peacefully. Once Arthur had calmed down a bit (he trusted the girl enough to cry his heart out for the rabbit, completely unashamed), she led him to a stream she found and helped him clean up.

Even though he could tell she didn't like getting herself dirty, she never once complained when the water splashed her expensive looking shoes and the mud clung to her dainty white socks. Arthur apologized and she told him it was fine, she was just worried about him. Arthur had never had someone his own age to play with or care about him. It was a nice feeling. His heart beat faster and a rosy glow clung to his cheeks.

From that day on, the two were inseparable all summer long. They met in the meadow each morning and played together until they had to go home. For Arthur, that meant his mansion. For his fairy friend, that meant her summer home with the King and Queen of the fairies. One day, she promised she would introduce him to her parents, but upon seeing his anxiety about meeting the King and Queen of all Fairies and Wildlings, she added when he felt ready to. Arthur's spirits were uncrushably high as he spent every day singing and dancing with his best friend.

It was a blissful summer until late August when the fairy family had to go visit their other kingdom. Arthur had been inconsolable for an entire week after she left; finally coming out of it when his mother assured him they would surely meet again. Truer words were never spoken, as the following summer reunited Arthur and his Fairy Princess.

That was the summer his heart was broken.

Shattered, really. Arthur could feel it breaking slowly into a thousand pieces cutting him on the inside like the shards of broken dreams. It was the first day of summer and the morning his Fairy Princess returned to him. As "she" started running towards him in the meadow, Arthur realized something was not quite right about his fairy friend.

For starters, the fairy was now sporting a decidedly boyish pair of britches and a pair of boots. Flowing white dresses had been replaced with polo shirts. And the princess's voice…ah, that was perhaps the greatest tragedy of all. What once had been music to his ears, now uttered every sound with a deeper and not at all girl-like tone. Arthur was too shocked to move as "she" ran over and hugged him. He was certain he was going into shock.

"Arthur! How have you been? I've missed you so much!"

"Y-You…"

"Mm?"

"You're a b-b-boy?!"

"Well, of course I am, silly!" the fairy in front of him laughed. "I always have been!"

And the rain came down like a shower of bullets.

To this day, Arthur couldn't comprehend Francis's strange family. He knew they were French and all, but _seriously!_ What kind of parents let their child run around firmly believing that they were a fairy princess (especially when said child was male). Even years later, when Francis explained to him that he grew up thinking he was a fairy because he was so pretty and often described as one, Arthur still fought the urge to bash his head into a brick wall. He couldn't believe he had ever fallen for that…

* * *

oOo

* * *

The following day at school, Arthur passed Francis (and the other two wankers he hung out with) in the hallway. As per reoccurring theme, Francis greeted him over-affectionately, Arthur shoved him off…politely, so that he could properly begin fighting with Antonio as Gilbert poured gasoline on the fire. To most, this was a familiar sight. The Englishman and Spaniard couldn't be in the same room with each other before they began fighting. Arthur, because of a long-standing grudge he wasn't about to let go of. Antonio, because Arthur started the grudge by making someone important to him cry.

"You're lucky, cabron…" Antonio let Gilbert pull him away. "I'm feeling very _dangerous_ today…"

"You don't scare me," sneered Arthur, as he watched Gilbert drag off Antonio towards the cafeteria to get churros, while Francis stayed with him.

"What am I going to do with you, mon cher?" the blonde hugged his tsundere. "Must you and Antoine always fight? I know I'm incredibly good-looking, but really now, you mustn't argue over me _all_ the time…"

"Get off, git," Arthur complained, but leaned into the other boy's arms.

"Is that any way to speak to your loving boyfriend?"

"Feh. 'Loving,' my ass."

"Why, Arthur…If you insist…" Francis wagged his eyebrows and inched closer.

"That wasn't a request, you wanker!" the bushy-browed boy shoved him off. "I hate you, frog!"

"You wound me, rosbif…" the other laughed, feigning hurt.

"Hmph…" Arthur leaned back against Francis, whose arms somehow found themselves wrapped around him again.

"And I don't even need my Iris to know all you can think about is me…" the smiling blonde gestured to the seemingly empty air above their heads where Francis could see two arrows pointing to each other.

Their little moment was interrupted by a pair of passing students discussing their trip to the hospital to see their little brother after he got his appendix out. It was a seemingly harmless conversation, but Arthur felt himself tense up. He felt Francis's arms squeeze him reassuringly, both knowing how much he hates even the mention of hospitals.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Arthur's mind's eye flashed to his mother in the hospital with several black butterflies perched around her, some even resting on the wires and IV drip attached to her arms. The window outside had been left open, so he desperately closed it to keep the butterflies away. It was a useless effort and only locked in the awful scent of sterile chemicals and sickness, but he didn't care. He had to save her, no matter what. Another black butterfly appeared and landed on his mother's head. Ten-year-old Arthur had to be forcefully removed from the room when he had a panic attack about her dying. The two had always been close, so he would've known something was wrong, even without his Iris. Others just said he was crazy. She had a minor injury and would be fine.

When the doctor's results came back, it was revealed that she had cancer.

His beautiful, brave, and strong-willed mother lived for another two years, but Arthur had to watch the butterflies nearly consume her as they did the rabbit in his childhood. The power to see when a person drew near death was a curse Arthur shared with no one. Everyone turned their back on his warnings before, but his brothers were especially stubborn and came to even hate him once he inherited the family business.

Their mother had always ran the show; their father was clueless about business. The battle to be the heir had gotten so bad, ten-year-old Alfred was asked to decide.

Through a series of several dozen questions (Who is best to inherit the business? Who is calm and reliable in a crisis? Who manages resources efficiently?) Arthur scored the most points. Despite his brothers previously agreeing to the outcome (hell, asking Alfred was _Dylan's_ idea), they were furious with the result. They claimed Alfred was wrong and started to dislike him too, but all-out hated Arthur. The Brit's feeble father tried to pacify everyone, but barely kept the peace at home. Arthur now had the difficult job of balancing a multi-million dollar company and school life.

And people wondered why he was so stressed out all of the time.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Back in reality, Arthur found himself eating lunch with Alfred. He managed to convince the wild child to let him go over proper Student Council President behavior, politics, and ideals. Arthur knew his cousin had gotten incredibly lucky when Lovino managed to come to his aid earlier in the week during the Bad Touch Trio incident. Somehow the cranky little Italian managed to guess Gilbert's Iris correctly and saved Alfred a lot of paperwork and himself a lot of threats directed at his boyfriend and the other two gits. Surprisingly enough, Alfred seemed to learn from the situation and was a lot more open to the opinions of his fellow Student Council members since.

_Maybe there's some hope for the whiny little wanker, after all…_

Arthur watched his younger (but freakishly taller) cousin devour another handful of candy.

…_Or not._

"Don't you eat anything that wasn't made in a factory?" Arthur cringed in a disgusted tone.

"Whut?" Alfred asked with a mouthful of gummy bears.

Arthur sighed. It was hard to believe this was the same kid who inspired him to keep going after the whole My Entire Family Hates Me debacle.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Arthur's mind flashed back to a crying Alfred after the inheritance meeting. The tsundere was feeling glum himself, but figured he should take some of the responsibility and comfort the kid.

"I-I'm sorry, Artie!" Alfred tried to apologize for tearing his family apart.

"It's not your fault," the older boy patted his head. "You just did what you thought was right…"

"That's not true…" Alfred sniffed.

Arthur felt his hand freeze and eyes widen. His fears increased – did Alfred throw the meeting just because they were friends? He voiced his thoughts to his cousin, who shook his head.

"I would never do that…" insisted the boy. "Heroes are supposed to be honest and noble!"

Arthur sighed, but still wasn't sold on Alfred's version of the truth. Surprisingly, he felt a tiny hand on his back to support him.

"I don't just _think_ I'm right, I _know_ I'm right!" he puffed out his cheeks. "My Iris told me you're the one most qualified to run the family business!"

The older boy sat there, stunned.

"Think about it, Artie!" Alfred shook his arm. "You're smart, strong, reliable, and remorseful!"

"I think you mean 'resourceful…'"

"Yeah, that's what I said!"

Both broke into laughter. It was the first time Arthur could remember laughing in a long time. There wasn't much for him to smile about ever since his mother's diagnosis and the chaos at home. Arthur hugged his younger cousin gratefully.

In the end, it was Alfred who comforted him.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Back in real time, Alfred noticed the glazed-over look on the bushy-browed boy's face.

"Are you cruising around memory lane or something?" he asked, slurping some soda through a colorful crazy straw that spiraled around in several directions…because only _Alfred_ would bring one of those to school.

"It's no business of yours!" Arthur snapped. Why couldn't he be more like the sweet little boy he was seven years ago? Whatever happened to _that_ Alfred? Obviously, this oaf in front of him was living proof that Faeries _are_ real, kidnapped his true cousin, and swapped him out with this wild, tactless changeling. It was the only explanation.

"Tell me the story about the fairy girl again…" Alfred grinned, right on cue. There were few secrets between the two of them.

Arthur could only recall how it ended with him picking flowers for his princess, all ready to propose and follow her to the realm of the Fae, until his dreams were cruelly dashed in front of him and he was greeted by a frog prince instead.

"…I really don't want to."

* * *

oOo

* * *

(BONUS SIDE STORY…In which Kiku and Elizabeta are tasked with finding the perfect trenchcoat for Lovino.)

"…Why are we doing this again?" Lovino asked from atop some kind of platform where two members from the school Fashion Club were taking his measurements and writing them down.

Most people tried to avoid touching him, so to have Feliks and his crony buzz around him like bees with tape measures and grabby hands was…uncomfortable. The whole experience was more than a little embarrassing and not helping the Italian keep his "Low Exposure" motto. He was barely holding back his temper as it was.

"Because Alfred asked me to adjust your school uniform to reflect your current status as World Academy's first Police Commissioner," Kiku replied absently as he flitted from rack to rack of coats, inspecting the material and durability. "Hmm…this one seems good."

"Ooh, I agree!" Elizabeta examined the beige trenchcoat in Kiku's arms.

"And why is _she_ here…?" Lovino growled. It wasn't like the Hungarian was on the Student Council.

"Because Elizabeta has an eye for these things," the dark-haired boy smiled.

"That's right!" she grinned, handing the coat over to Lovino. "Now try this on and say 'I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from Perdition.'"

"W-What? Why?" Lovino spat as he was all but manhandled into the jacket.

"Just say it!"

"No way, assbutt!"

Lovino was more than a little put off by the way she burst into giggles and frolicked around the various racks in search of another coat. The only positive that came from it was that Feliks let him take the trenchcoat off…only to have it immediately replaced by a brown coat that was a little shorter than the rest, ending just above his knees.

"Now, I realize the full effect won't be achieved without suspenders and a holster, but I want you to try this one on anyway," the fangirl told him seriously. "Turn around, so I can see the back too."

Lovino sighed, but complied, stomping around in a quick circle. Maybe it would get him out of whatever hell he wandered into faster.

"Perfect!" she beamed. "Now tell me 'I swear by my pretty floral bonnet, I will end you!'"

"No."

"Are you _trying_ to be difficult?" Elizabeta forced a smile.

"I aim to misbehave," was all he said.

A few more snickers from Elizabeta and Kiku and they dragged out a long tan trenchcoat that was fitted to his form more. Lovino wanted to ask how many more of these damned things he had to try on, but the Hungarian and Japanese conspirators were currently locked in an argument over ties and screwdrivers. Ties he could understand, but _screwdrivers?_ The brunette had no idea what the hell was going through their minds and was stuck standing on the platform until they remembered him again.

"It makes you look slim and a little bit _foxy!_" the SHIP president grinned.

"Great…" Lovino rolled his eyes. "I've always wanted to be slim and foxy."

"Really?"

"Of course, just like I've always wanted to be _ginger!_" he retorted sarcastically. "Can we be done now, dammit?"

The dynamic fandom duo didn't let his surliness bother them, as they grabbed the final trenchcoat – a long dark grey one that was nearly black in the slightly dimmed lighting. Elizabeta had also dug up a blue scarf to complete the look. Lovino wasn't sure what that strange hat in Kiku's hands was all about, but he sure as hell wasn't going to wear it. He swore that if anyone tried to put that…_thing_…on him, he would skin them and make them into shoes.

"Beautiful!" the long-haired girl quickly wove a long blue scarf around his neck. "Now tell me 'I'm not a psychopath, I'm a high-functioning sociopath!"

"…At least you've done your research."

* * *

oOo

* * *

A/N – This chapter was to help set-up for later on when Arthur's Iris becomes really important.

The bonus side-story was for all my fellow SHERlocked fans who find all of my little references to Sherlock (mostly in Lovino) and make me feel slightly less crazy. How many fandoms did you spot in this one? XD

Slowly, more and more characters are having their Irises revealed to you guys! Let me know if you're ever having any confusion with them and I'll clear it up if I can. At the moment, the only one I can't reveal from this chapter is Antonio's…still waiting on some plot devices to work themselves out for that one ;) Feel free to guess though! :)

-Rajikka

**Translations**

**Tsundere** – A type of character seen in anime or manga known for appearing cold or hostile, but having a hidden sweet side. "Tsun Tsun" is the aloof or irritable side, while "Dere Dere" is the lovey dovey side. (Jp.)

**Cabron** – Bastard (Sp.)

**Churros** – Cinnamon sugar-coated crack. A fried pastry treat popular in Spain and the abyss that is my stomach.


	8. Taste the Rainbow

_Disclaimer: I don't own it, I just ship it _

_Warning: AU, strong language, boy x boy pairings, violence (more so bullying in the beginning), and because this was inspired by the manga _Iris Zero_, there may be some minor spoilers for it._

Glad you all seemed cool with a little backstory followed by gratuitous amounts of geekery in the last chapter! This chapter will bounce around a little more to reveal more Irises and maybe even further the plot (what plot?) if we're lucky! XD

* * *

oOo

* * *

After dealing with enough of Elizabeta's craziness to last him a lifetime, Feliks's overwillingness to feel him up with tape measures, and what had to be blackmail photos taken by Kiku all resulting from Alfred's stupid plan to make him 'Police Commissioner' or whatever, the Italian tried to avoid his loud, overly-energetic friend for awhile.

That didn't mean he didn't think about him from time to time, however.

Lovino currently found himself sitting in his culinary class daydreaming about watching the clouds drift by from his rooftop. Somehow Alfred managed to barge into his daydream (as he often did in real life) and began tap dancing. This was very strange (and therefore right up the American's alley), so dream-Lovino yelled at him to stop acting like an idiot. Alfred complied, but didn't stop dancing. Instead, he swept Lovino into his arms and waltzed him around the rooftop with surprising ease.

Even though it was all in his head, Lovino could feel a faint blush race over his face in reality, matching his dream-self. Why would he be thinking about this of all things? He didn't care about the hamburger bastard at all! Not his toned body, broad shoulders, or the way his wheat-blonde hair fell perfectly over his stormy blue eyes. And he especially didn't care about the firm, yet gentle hold the dream-American had on his own hand and lower back. Nope. He didn't care at all. Not one bit.

_Dammit! Why hasn't class started, yet?!_ He mentally cursed, needing something to distract him.

Bella Mertens walked into her classroom, trying to ignore her Iris. Seeing labels other people placed on you like stickers was never easy, especially in a high school. She loved her job, but could really do without the drama. Teenagers were labeling each other left and right, often without realizing it. Bella typically tried to pay it no mind, becoming used to the ridiculous stickers spawned via gossip.

The only one she had difficulty ignoring was Lovino.

That boy had everything from "disgrace" to "devil" and "bad luck" to "cursed." Bella felt horrible for him. Lovino seemed like a nice enough kid, despite his temper. She figured that if she was surrounded by people who thought she was a walking curse, she'd be angry too. Bella made her way to the front of the room as her students were quickly settling onto their seats as the bell rang. At least she had good news for them.

"Good morning, everyone!" she greeted them brightly, most responding back positively. It was hard to hate a class where the teacher was cool and eating was part of the curriculum. "We have a new face joining our class, starting today."

A quick buzz went around the room over who it could be. The doors opened and the newest addition to their class was met with cheers. Lovino dropped the pen he'd been twirling and stared in disbelief. His ears began to feel hot when the person he'd just been thinking of casually strolled in and greeted everyone. This had to be an invasion of privacy or something! Was Alfred reading his mind now too?

"You can take any of the open seats," Bella informed him. "Whoever you sit next to will be the person you work with."

"Cool," their President nodded. "Now, who should I sit by…?"

Several unassuming students were very nearly shoved off their seats in an effort for their partner to make space for Alfred. One or two actually succeeded. Alfred glanced around the room. The blonde flashed a smile that lit up the entire room when he spotted Lovino. Alfred happily bounded over to his friend and sat beside him.

"Hi, partner!"

Despite Lovino's colorful protest, Bella couldn't help but smile when a new label appeared on the Italian. The second Alfred sat down 'My best friend' materialized, spreading across his chest. The Belgian professor willed herself to return to teaching and began the daily lesson on Belgian spice cookies, otherwise known as speculoos.

"Why are you here?" Lovino angrily hissed at his partner.

"Roderich was getting on my back about taking a study hall this semester," Alfred admitted. "It didn't set the right example for the Student Council President or something…"

"So of all the classes you could have taken, you chose this one?"

"Yeah, I agreed to drop my study hall for an actual class and figured this one sounded fun!" the American whispered back enthusiastically. "We get to make food, right?"

"…That explains it," sighed Lovino.

Alfred was a man of many talents. He could build and rebuild everything from bookshelves to broken relationships. The blonde had the strength of someone twice his already muscular size. And optimism? He could sell his positive outlook on everything to the entire student body and still have enough to walk the halls with a bounce in his step and a grin on his face. His charisma had also won him many fans and admirers. As if that wasn't enough, he had the luck of the devil and the brains of a professor (when motivated enough).

One thing he could _not_ do was cook.

Even that was an understatement. When even collecting the proper ingredients gave him trouble (being an experimental chef, Alfred grabbed whatever caught his eye instead of following the recipe list); an angry Italian was about to kick him out of their kitchen workstation and take over the entire project, but Alfred was insistent he help in some way. He didn't want to stick Lovino with all the work.

"You're being stubborn, Lovino…" he pouted when given the task of washing dishes.

"I am not!"

"Yes, you _are_," Alfred whined. "Why won't you let me help? I want to do my part of the assignment. We share the grade, don't we?"

"There will be nothing _to_ grade if I let you handle this."

"What about stirring, Master Chef Lovi? I promise I won't screw that up!"

"You'll find a way…" Lovino frowned, but eventually shoved the bowl filled with eggs, creamed butter, and brown sugar in Alfred's direction. "Remember, bastard. _Slow_."

"You got it!" the blonde's face lit up again. He caught a smirk fighting its way to the corners of Lovino's mouth, causing his enthusiasm to return tenfold. Alfred liked it when his Italian friend smiled. He wished it happened more often.

Alfred obediently whipped the batter with enough force to mix the ingredients together smoothly, but not enough to send them flying all over like his previous attempt. Lovino kept a paranoid eye on him while he simultaneously buttered the baking sheets and preheated the oven.

By nothing short of a miracle, they completed their cookies and set them aside to cool. Lovino placed one on a tasteful plate to turn in to their instructor, reminding Alfred to let the cookies cool before he devoured them like a starving lion. The blonde had been trying to persuade his partner to take the cookies out early for the last ten minutes, so he could sneak one or two (or ten) because they smelled soooo good. With everyone else baking the same thing, the tantalizing aroma of ginger, cloves, and chocolate had filled the entire room. Alfred's mouth was watering, but he promised to save Lovino enough to hold his own cookie killing spree.

In the time it took the brunette to walk away and return, Alfred had been swarmed by other students. While the Iris Zero was present, they had made themselves sparse, instead settling on giving the brunette dirty looks and making rude comments to each other. With him temporarily on the other side of the room, Alfred was free game. Overlooking the fact that Lovino had done most of the work, they were all eager to try a cookie from the batch Alfred was holding. He said he'd share as long as he had enough for everyone.

Hands were flying, so Alfred set the cookie tray down on the counter. Unfortunately, in his attempts to ask for more space, he knocked over the canister of salt, completely coating the fresh speculoos.

"Crap…" Alfred's heart sank. The first thing he and Lovino cooked together and he had managed to cover it in more salt than a demon hunter at an exorcism. "I ruined it…"

The other students surrounding him were quick to dust off the cookies and force themselves to take small bites, insisting through pained looks how they were still good. The blonde looked relieved. A little salt never hurt anyone! Maybe there was still hope for them after all? …But why were his taste-testers crying?

Lovino facepalmed, thanking his lucky stars he had decided to take the sample for Professor Mertens right away. Partially to make sure it reached her safely, partially because his classmates had a nasty habit of knocking his dishes to the floor or throwing his food out before he got back. Lovino tried to hurry back before his partner started bawling. Oh, the perks of working with a kitchen klutz.

Just before he made it back, a student from the adjoining kitchenette recklessly swung his cookie sheet in Lovino's direction on 'accident.' The brunette could feel the heat rising from the tray as it nearly grazed him, but he managed to get out of the way in time. Unfortunately, he bumped into another student and took a spill to the ground. The original reckless chef then proceeded to be 'surprised' and drop the still-toasty tray towards the tsundere.

Lovino tried to scramble out of the way, but was pinned in by the countertop. He braced himself for the burn that never came.

"Careful there," Alfred said, eyes darkening slightly at the 'clumsy' senior. He had managed to catch the tray in his still gloved hand inches away from Lovino's exposed arm. "You almost hurt my friend."

Alfred set the tray on the countertop and silenced the rush of crappy excuse after crappy excuse with a stormy look. The upperclassman wisely backed off and hastily returned to his station. After helping Lovino up and looking him over quickly, satisfied there were no injuries, Alfred's sunny expression returned and remained for the rest of class. With the Iris Zero's arrival, their other classmates returned to their own stations too.

Low exposure shot to hell, Lovino spent the rest of the period insisting to Alfred that he didn't need his help and had the whole thing completely under control.

"Of course you did," Alfred chuckled. "I'd just hate to miss lunch because we had to take you to the nurse's office."

"Like I'd ask you to take me!"

"Admit it, you'd be lonely without me~!"

"Like hell I would!" Lovino snapped back. _Bored_ maybe, but he didn't get lonely. He was better than that. He might not be a fighter like Alfred, but he could take care of himself, dammit. He'd gotten this far, hadn't he?

* * *

oOo

* * *

After class, Tim, one of the physical education teachers, popped in to ask Bella something. Lovino caught his eye, causing him to turn and get his attention.

"Hey, kid! Tell your lazy _hermano_ that if he skips my class one more time, I'll flunk his ass!"

"If you're going to make a racist joke, at least do it _right_, jackass," Lovino snarled. Normally, he tried to at least be civil to teachers, but he wasn't a fan of this particular one. Tim had a power complex. He believed that his whistle made him their god.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" the large blonde lowered his shades with as much malice as he could muster.

"Antonio's not my brother and I'm not his keeper, dammit."

Tim was about to threaten his ass with detention when Bella stepped in. She began chiding her older brother about the way he talks to students, giving Lovino a chance to give him the stink eye and be dragged off by Alfred. Bella continued to lay into him about picking on the Italian, who was already bullied enough by his peers and didn't need Tim to set an even crueler example for them.

"It's his cousin I don't like," the blonde defended himself. The fact that his sister was half his size made her no less intimidating when upset. "I don't have anything against the Iris Zero himself."

"His name is _Lovino_," she huffed. "He's your student too; you should at least know his name."

"I have a lot of students," he waved off her concerns. "I can't be expected to remember all of their names."

"You could at least _try_." Bella heard him make some half-assed excuse and somehow escape her disapproving glare. He always was good at running away.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Feliciano excitedly left the classroom in the opposite direction of the others. A few classmates asked him where he was going, extending him lunch invites of their own. He was especially popular with the girls who thought he was cute and sweet…so roughly about half the girls he went to school with.

"Sorry!" He apologized with a friendly wave. It was the first day of the month, which meant a long-standing tradition he _persuaded_ Lovino to accept. If puppy eyes, crying, moping, and endless begging counted as persuasion, anyway. "I get to have lunch with my brother today!"

"O-Oh. Really?" a disappointed student sulked.

"That's too bad…"

"Yeah, I feel really bad for you, Feli!"

"What are you talking about?" Feliciano laughed. "I get to eat with my fratello! I even made pasta!"

The others watched him hold up a tupperware container with great flourish.

"Are you some kind of saint or something?" a guy spoke up.

"He must be!" A long-haired girl agreed.

"Huh?" Feliciano was confused. Did he say something strange? True to his heritage, the Italian loved cooking, so it's not like he went to any extra lengths with making their lunch…he made it most of the time, anyway.

"You'd best hurry or you'll keep your brother waiting, Feliciano," Ludwig finished gathering his books and came to his rescue.

"Ah! You're right! I don't want Lovi to be mad at me!" he gave his friends a final wave and skipped off happily. "Ciao!"

"I don't know how he does it…" the other students stared after him.

"No kidding…"

"I wouldn't even _look_ at the Iris Zero if he was _my_ brother…Forget living with him…"

The group's laughter was interrupted by the German in the doorway.

"He was telling the truth."

"Huh?" the group of five or so scumbags was caught off-guard. Most of them were surprised Ludwig was still there and actually talking to them. With real words and stuff!

"Feliciano was happy to go have lunch with his brother."

"You're kidding right?" a taller boy laughed, thinking it was some kind of joke. He was met with a stern look and shuddered slightly.

"I _guarantee_ it…" was all the blonde said before walking off.

* * *

oOo

* * *

Alfred had ended up joining the Vargas brothers for lunch after hearing what was on the menu. He'd thrown his arms around Lovino and refused to let go until the flustered brunette finally agreed to let him come too. Lovino began snarling about him compromising his 'Low Exposure' and being a 'stronzo' …Whatever that was. Not for the first time, Alfred found himself wishing he knew more Italian, so he could understand everything his friend said. Until then, he'd make his own translations… 'Stronzo' equals 'Superhero!'

Feliciano met the duo on the hallway leading to the roof. His head tilted to the side when he saw Lovino approach with another person, trying to wrap his mind around the situation. Was he imagining things? It had taken him forever to convince his fratello to eat together with him and they were _family_. The younger Vargas brother's surprise at the realization Alfred was joining them for lunch evaporated into excitement soon after. It was his idea to have the blonde text his twin brother and they'd make it a brothers lunch theme. Lovino insisted their lunch didn't need a _theme_, but Alfred was all for it.

Feliciano walked behind the others with a huge smile on his face. He was happy that his brother was finally making friends…and all on his own, too! Feli shuddered when he recalled how disastrous the 'playdates' he and Antonio arranged for him ended.

_Oh, that's right! 'Toni needs to see this too!_

Feliciano may not have the level of skill his Japanese friend did with a camera, but he had no problems sneakily snapping a photo or two of Alfred guiding Lovino by the shoulder to the stairs leading to the roof, like he knew where he was going. (He didn't. The Vargas brothers corrected him twice.) The blonde was sporting his signature crooked grin the entire time, but the redder Lovino's cheeks got, the shorter his temper got. Feli smiled as he looked over the newest additions to his gallery, sending a few of his favorites to his older cousin. Within seconds, Feliciano's phone burst to life in a never-ending stream of hearts, smiley faces, and exclamation marks. The two ahead of him turned around to see what the commotion was about.

"Hehe…sorry," Feli smiled, silencing his phone. "I left the sound on."

"Who are you texting?" Lovino narrowed his eyes.

"Um…'Toni," the brunette replied. Lying wasn't one of his strong suits.

The older Vargas brother eyed him suspiciously. He hoped those two weren't playing House again and acting like his fucking parents. Didn't they remember how bad the last little 'playdate' they arranged ended? He still couldn't believe nobody pressed charges or called the cops. Hell, it was a small miracle everyone _survived_ the whole ordeal.

They gathered on the roof, despite it being off-limits. Nobody had ever bothered Lovino up there before and even Feliciano didn't mind risking a lecture if a teacher came by (much to his fratello's chagrin when he first tried to get his younger brother to leave him alone by intentionally eating up there). Having Alfred there made them even higher above the law. Who was really going to chew out the Student Council President, after all?

"So Alfredo, tell us more about your younger brother!" Feliciano smiled after they'd all settled into their bowls of spaghetti. "He's in a different class than us, right?"

"Yep! I'd bet you'd recognize him, though! We look a lot alike."

"No, you don't," Lovino rolled his eyes. The other two turned to look at him, putting the tsundere on the spot. "Y-You both have blond hair and a similar build, but his hair is longer and your eyes are blue."

"I guess so…" Alfred smiled. "You're very observant, Commissioner Vargas!"

"And I won't even get into your difference in volume."

"I guess we really do have more differences than similarities," the blonde scratched his head. "We don't even have the same last name."

"Why's that?" Lovino asked.

"Our parents' messy divorce."

"Ah."

"So what's his Iris?" Feli tactfully changed the topic.

"Oh, it's really cool!" boasted Alfred. "He can see wings sprouting from people's backs that show their current emotion!"

"Um…" the amber-eyed boy looked confused.

"Do they change color like a mood ring?" Lovino asked, trying to make sense of it.

"That's one way of looking at it, yeah," the hero laughed, the Skittles candy he was eating gave him an idea. He dumped a few candies in his hand and began naming the colors he remembered. "Red is angry, purple is calm, blue is happy…"

"That is really cool!" Feliciano exclaimed, now that he understood it.

"Yep!" Alfred popped another candy into his mouth. "I can taste the rainbow, but Mattie reads the rainbow."

* * *

oOo

* * *

The sun was shining brightly above them, but it didn't bother the tsundere. He'd take heat over cold any day. Lovino leaned back against the cool brick of the building, perfectly content to let the chatterboxes ramble while he ate their share of the spaghetti. They went on and on about their current essay debating whether Irises were chosen specifically for the individual or not.

Lovino remembered that assignment. He hated it.

Alfred said there might be something behind the selection, since many Irises suit their user. For example, he considered himself a good judge of character, so his Iris only helped that. Matthew was his second example, as it made sense that someone who was practically an angel himself could see angel wings on others. Feliciano countered that not all Irises made sense, citing several ridiculous abilities he'd come across – seeing what's for dinner, seeing a person's favorite number on their forehead, and seeing a person's favorite animal via tattoos (while being unable to distinguish them from real tattoos). Then, there was the obvious example – Iris Zeroes. Why were some people like Lovino born without Irises if Irises were destined and pre-selected for the majority of the population?

"Oh, that's easy!" Alfred smiled brightly. "It's because he doesn't need one."

"Huh?" both brothers responded.

"Because he's perfect the way he is!" the blonde explained with ease.

Alfred's blunt honesty had two distinct effects on the Vargas brothers. Feliciano erupted into happy giggles and was quick to agree with his classmate. Lovino turned several shades of red and punched him in the arm, ordering him to stop spouting stupid things. When Alfred only laughed, Lovino punched him again. Not long after that, Matthew showed up.

"There you are, Al!"

"Yo! What kept you, bro?" Alfred asked, making room for his twin by scooting closer to Lovino. "I would have thought sneaking up here would be no problem for you."

"It was awful. Roderich thought I was you again and tried to get me to sign a bunch of paperwork."

"That idiot…" Lovino shook his head.

"Ve…"

Matthew sighed and glanced around. Feliciano was his usually bouncy blue of pure blissfulness. Lovino on the other hand…well…Matthew hadn't spent much time with him, but hadn't gone out of his way to avoid him either. He didn't believe in all the 'Iris Zeroes suck away your own Iris' nonsense. Although if it were true, he wouldn't complain much. He tried to smile politely, noting Lovino's cautious yellow wings flicker to life. The other Italian wasted no time in talking a mile per minute about Matthew's cool Iris.

Matthew indulged him until Roderich broke up their happy lunch. Apparently he had been looking everywhere for the elusive Student Council President and wasn't happy about it.

"You were supposed to sign the Homecoming budget papers this morning and never showed up!" he scolded. "Do you know what kind of example that sets to the rest of the council members?"

"…That I like to sleep in?"

His humor was met with the makings of a five-hour lecture on tardiness and proper presidential etiquette. Alfred's insistence that he was having Arthur help him out with that fell on deaf ears.

"And another thing, what in the world do you think you're doing on the roof?" Roderich frowned. "You know it's off-limits to students!"

"I guess that makes you a rule breaker too…" shrugged the blonde.

"Hardly! I was just taking the necessary steps to locate you!"

"It's okay, Roderich!" Feliciano tried to patch things up. "We were just having lunch, nothing bad!"

"I find that difficult to believe…" the Austrian's gaze fell on the older Italian. He then looked away in disgust.

Matthew watched Lovino's emotions flicker through his wings – angry red, a pang of grey grief, and finally cruel black. The tsundere walked past Roderich, casually touching him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, we wouldn't even _think_ of trying again…" The sarcasm was so heavy in his voice, it was practically tangible.

"H-How dare you!" the senior jumped back, as if he was burned.

Lovino smirked, but continued on his way, semi-apologetic Feliciano following close behind. The Austrian opened his mouth to say more, but Alfred cut him off.

"Chill out, Roddy, where's the paperwork you're so dead-set on me signing?"

Matthew, ever the spectator, watched the scene play out before him, feeling a little bad for Lovino. Roderich's wings had turned yellow the instant Lovino touched his shoulder. Maybe the stereotypes and discrimination people held towards Iris Zeroes ran deeper than he thought. His violet eyes flickered back to his brother, who had come to his moody friend's aid without a second thought (and in a surprisingly non-aggressive way). Roderich was quick to judge someone based off society's view, but Alfred preferred getting to know the person before judging them too harshly, despite being raised with the same stereotypes the Austrian was.

_Maybe there's a reason Alfred is President and Roderich isn't? _

Matthew smiled.

* * *

oOo

* * *

A/N – We're just gonna ignore the fact that in real life, speculoos have to be chilled for an hour before they can be baked. I took creative liberties to make their assignment fit within a single school period.

I couldn't remember exactly what emotion went along with every color Nanase mentioned in the _Iris Zero_ manga, but remembered that not every color was identified yet either. I plan on revealing more of Matt's color keys within the next few chapters, so instead of waiting around for Iris Zero updates (and keeping it 'canon') I branched out to use basic psychological properties of various colors instead. That way, things are simplified and I can keep the colors consistent throughout the chapters.

And while I prefer Feli actively standing up for his brother, he doesn't always catch the double-meanings or understand the subtle bullying from his classmates, who he considers friends (and therefore doesn't realize they're just as bad as Lovi's classmates in terms of bullying). That said, when it's someone he's less familiar with or someone who openly says something not nice about his fratello, he's more likely to jump to Lovino's defense. This will change over the course of the story as Feli becomes less naïve about others around him.

-Rajikka

**Translations**

**Fratello **– Brother (It.)

**Mertens** – A common Belgian surname, since Belgium doesn't have a canon human name. Since they're siblings, Netherlands also got it by default in this fic.

**Hermano** – Brother (Sp.)

**Stronzo** – Bastard or Asshole (It.)

**Tsundere** – A type of character seen in anime or manga known for appearing cold or hostile, but having a hidden sweet side. "Tsun Tsun" is the aloof or irritable side, while "Dere Dere" is the lovey dovey side. (Jp.)


	9. Go, go, Power Rangers!

_Disclaimer: I don't own it, I just ship it _

_Warning: AU, strong language, boy x boy pairings, violence (more so bullying in the beginning), and because this was inspired by the manga _Iris Zero_, there may be some minor spoilers for it._

Thanks again for all your lovely support! This chapter will cover the first Student Council meeting...yeah. We'll see how THAT goes ;)

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oOo

* * *

Early Thursday morning, dew clung to the leaves like summer clung to the roots below, warming the earth and warding off autumn for just a little longer. There was the makings of a chill in the air, but it always seemed to warm up as the day went on. Unfortunately for the resident Iris Zero, that wouldn't happen for another hour or two, so he tugged his thin jacket tighter and began walking at a brisk pace towards his school. He balanced a bookbag in one hand and a coffee cup in the other. Today had the potential to get ugly, so he wanted to be prepared. For the Italian, that usually meant caffeine and lots of it.

Lovino yawned as he arrived outside the Student Council room around the same time as Kiku, who spotted him right away. The black-haired boy quickly caught up to him. Lovino glanced around, glad there weren't any other students around to give him grief for hanging around World Academy's Elite. He didn't feel like putting up with their shit this early in the morning. Then the Italian spotted something worse. Something that made his blood run cold.

Kiku was carrying a sketchbook.

As Lovino had learned from his recent encounter with the SHIP club, nothing good _ever_ came from one of its members jogging towards you with a smile on their face and a sketchbook in their arms. Hell, anytime any high-ranked member of the SHIP club approaches you at _all_ is usually a good time to GTFO.

"Lovino-san! I was hoping to go over the final designs for your Commissioner uniform with you at some point," He said politely. "Do you have time for that before the meeting today?"

The brunette groaned, but nodded. Best to get this out of the way with Kiku (the lesser of two evils) versus his psychotic club president. Kiku smiled politely and followed him through the door discussing fabric types and how he and Elizabeta thought a knee-length trench coat would be most appropriate given his job's need for mobility, while retaining some of the traditional feel of a detective's boot-length trench coat. Just as Lovino decided to tune him out, Kiku's half-formed sentence died in his throat.

"Hey, guys! Thanks for coming!" Alfred greeted them from the meeting area below.

"What the fuck did you do to the place?!" Lovino spat out, shocked.

"You like it?" the Student Council President rested his hands on his hips and admired his own handiwork.

The old curtains were replaced by new vertical blinds that matched the interior walls; currently they were pulled back so sunlight could stream in. Banners depicting some kind of logo that seemed like a cross between World Academy's crest and some anime Kiku had leant his friends were strung up and flowing on the breeze of the open windows. In the center of the room was a whiteboard containing some bizarre equation that only made sense to Alfred (judging by the amount of times 'HERO' was written). And for reasons Lovino didn't understand, there was a giant aquarium filled with what looked suspiciously like piranhas displayed off to the side.

And those were the _minor_ alterations.

The front tables where the student council usually sat had been remodeled. Instead of facing the front, Alfred had arranged the first five in a circular pattern. Each chair had a colored cloth draped over it and a banner beside it. In the middle of the table formation was a giant globe that looked suspiciously like a beach ball. On each work station, where the dull grey Student Council badges should have been was a small black box. Inside each box was a badge inlaid on an armband to pin to one's sleeve that corresponded to the color of the banners of each chair. The old grey badges themselves had been replaced with a dazzling silver.

"If you want to sit by each other, Lovino is the green banner and Kiku's black," Alfred explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm red, of course."

"Of course," nodded Kiku.

Lovino gave him a look.

"The Red Ranger is often the leader of various Sentai shows…uh, Power Rangers, if you will."

"Hell, yeah!" Alfred fist pumped. "I knew you'd get it, Kiku!"

"I'm leaving," the Italian announced. He could handle crazy, but this was starting to get circus-crazy.

"Aw, you can't leave, Lovi! You have Student Council obligations to be here!"

"Call me 'Lovi' one more time and I'll reveal your middle name, Alfred F—"

"—I can give you another color if you'd like!" Alfred quickly cut in. "Would you prefer blue? Or maybe white?"

"I'd prefer you start making sense before the others get here!"

For some reason, the more Alfred tried to explain his reasoning to Lovino, the more confused the Italian became. Kiku seemed to understand most of what the crazy blonde was rambling on about, due to their shared obsession with video games, anime, and movies. It was almost worse to hear Kiku's calm, rational voice try to explain to Lovino why Alfred's rearrangements were perfectly natural and had a sound logic behind them. He was starting to doubt his own sanity until the second tsundere entered.

"What the bloody hell _is_ this?!" Arthur roared. "What did you do now, you daft idiot?"

_Looks like I'm not the only one who's not a fucking morning person_… Lovino thought to himself.

"I know it's not perfect," Alfred scratched his head. "I put in a request for a round table, but it won't be in until Friday."

"…WHY?"

"Because I may be the Hero and fearless leader, but I didn't want you all to feel intimidated by that! This way, we all sit as equals!"

"How…thoughtful?" Ludwig tried without success to find a middle ground. He had walked in just behind Arthur.

"That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard, and I put up with your 'Batman' phase as kids…" Arthur crossed his arms, refusing to sit at the ridiculous table.

"Aww, I thought you'd like it for sure, Artie!" Alfred's face fell. "It's totally like King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table…except I'm King Arthur, not you. Sorry."

"Well, since this isn't Camelot or 5th Century Britain, I suggest you change it back."

"No can do, I already put the work order in!"

"Then I'll just have to wait for your nephew to betray you and—"

"Spoilers!" Alfred covered his ears. "Not cool!"

The non-bickering members of the Council sighed and found seats. When the cousins showed no sign of stopping their little argument, Ludwig stepped up to his position as Vice-President.

"If you two are done, we really should get started on the actual meeting…"

It was enough to get the two to stop trying to strangle each other, although Alfred looked ready to jump the table when Arthur took his chair with the red banner. Kiku was able to convince Alfred to settle on blue by reminding him that both Captain America and Superman had a lot of blue in their costumes. The President was still a little sore about it, but figured he'd have to get used to compromise eventually…and if he was successful with his cranky cousin, he could be successful with a pit of pythons.

_At least Lovi got green_…

Alfred's eyes glanced over towards his friend who was shoving Kiku's notebook further and further away from him. They had followed Alfred's insistence that Lovino was green and Kiku was black. Ludwig had taken the seat with the yellow banner, if only for the reason that it was the closest to the door he entered.

Alfred ran a quick scan with his Iris and found that each member was best qualified to wear the color they had chosen. Minus Arthur being a tool and taking _his_ color, it had been the colors he'd selected for them too. This was enough to put him back in a good mood as Ludwig droned on about the paperwork that needed to be completed at each meeting.

Kiku was dutifully taking the necessary notes, having snapped open his laptop to create digital copies to post on the school website right away. One of his goals was to release them on the school website (a much-neglected student council page had been created a few years prior) in hopes of getting the rest of the student body involved and informed. He hadn't anticipated all the editing and omitting he would have to do before submitting the meeting minutes…especially when the two tsundere members decided to tear out each other's throats.

"And how goes the cutting down on crimes, Lovino?" Arthur asked smugly.

"About as well as keeping the budget balanced," the Italian retorted. "How much did you allot to the dance again? It's your last homecoming, so I'm sure it was quite a bit…"

"Leave the numbers to me and focus on bullies, since you so obviously have that under control, you git," a flustered Brit snapped back.

"I'd need a fucking police force to deal with all the assholes here!"

Kiku stopped typing. This was going to take a _lot_ of editing.

Ludwig coughed and tried to get them back on track to the agenda he made for the meeting. Even if it wasn't part of his Vice-President duties, he would have just to keep this group focused on something that didn't involve screaming at each other.

"First we'll have to get access to the school website to be able to update it with pertinent information," the German read off his to-do list.

"Alfred and I took care of that already," Kiku nodded politely. "I'd like to post meeting minutes and event updates weekly…after a little more work."

"Good," Ludwig nodded. It was a godsend to have Kiku on their side. "Then, next we'll have to finalize signing out the room for our meetings to avoid scheduling them at the same day as monthly Class Rep meetings."

"Oh, I already did that," Alfred waved it off.

The others just stared at him.

"I had to submit that to the same people as the work order for the room, so I figured I'd just do both," he shrugged.

"And you didn't even ask us?" Arthur snarled.

"Didn't have to," he grinned. "I asked the secretary for a copy of all of your schedules to make sure you were all free."

"I'm pretty sure that's illegal, bastard," Lovino frowned. He didn't like the idea of anyone poking their nose in his business. If the secretary had just handed them over to someone as clueless as Alfred, who else was able to get a copy?

"Nah, I told her it was official Student Council business!" he laughed, passing out the meeting dates for them to look over. "And I promise I'll only release them to your fangirls if I need to blackmail you!"

As much as both tsundere officers wanted to press the issue, nobody could argue with the dates and times Alfred chose. Extra points were awarded when Ludwig mentioned that some of these dates conflicted with Roderich's after school piano lessons, so he would most likely miss those days.

Ludwig continued to list off necessary tasks for them to complete by the end of the week (submitting a list of Student Council goals for the semester, setting up a student survey system, compiling a file for potential community projects, developing a plan to address any outstanding school reforms from previous years, etc.), but the majority of it had already been handled, most of it by Alfred, surprisingly enough.

"I wanted to get the boring stuff out of the way, so we could focus on the fun stuff!" he exclaimed.

Ludwig looked over the copies of paperwork Alfred planned on turning in after the meeting to find it flawless. He didn't see how this could be possible. Alfred told him he didn't want to waste time redoing rough drafts later on when he could be playing Call of Duty.

The others couldn't tell if their President was capable or cracked.

Just for a moment, the gang was actually at a loss for what to do. This lull was interrupted by a knock at the door. A happy Headmaster popped in to see how things are going. Alfred assured him things were great and Ludwig submitted all the required paperwork to Headmaster Shinawatra. The Thai was impressed to say the least.

"You five have done an outstanding job!" Kasem praised them. "I can't recall a Student Council this well-organized so early into the school year!"

_Good thing he didn't walk in here ten minutes earlier_… was the general consensus Kiku viewed through his Iris. Maybe they _could_ agree on something, after all. He tried to stifle a chuckle.

"Since you are such a skilled group this year, I was hoping you'd be able to help me with a situation that's been brought to my attention…"

"What is it, sir?" Alfred asked, remembering to mind his manners.

The Headmaster explained there had been a string of break-ins to the cafeteria kitchens. Nothing of any great value had been taken – just some uniforms left in the laundry bin, food lying on the counter for preparation, and some miscellaneous items from the food storage room. The general consensus was that it was a student or staff member turned to stealing by a family situation. The majority of the staff and students who went to school here were loaded, but not everyone. Even a wealthy family could fall on hard times…that could push a person to rash behavior. The Headmaster wanted to know who and why, so he could assist the person behind it if needed. There were many programs and funding available to help others at World Academy. He'd also prefer to not get the authorities involved if possible. It wouldn't be wise to risk both the school and the culprit's reputation. The Student Council could consider this a training exercise and way to show their reliability and skills to the rest of the school.

Ludwig accepted the Headmaster's offer immediately. His parents' strict upbringing taught him to obey his superiors and it was hard to rank above Headmaster Shinawatra at World Academy.

The others nodded their consent, but not everyone was happy about it. This was voiced the very instant Kasem had left the room and was out of earshot.

"What the fuck was _that_ about?!" Lovino crossed his arms.

"We couldn't very well ignore the Headmaster…"

"The hell we couldn't," Lovino rolled his eyes at the Vice President's reasoning. "Maybe that's how they do it on the mothership, but you're on Earth now, potato brain!"

From Ludwig's other side, Arthur continued the assault. Honestly, what had compelled him to sit between the two of them? He'd sooner sit on the floor before he made that mistake again.

"Alfred blindly accepting goose-chases I could understand, but you?" Arthur shook his head. "I have better things to do than chase rumors about robbers and bread thieves!"

"Like what?" Alfred felt like he should stand up for the disgraced German…He also wasn't thrilled about the jab made at him too.

"Like a CEO meeting starting at 4:00 PM tonight," the young entrepreneur replied dryly. "You're doing this one without me."

"Fine, we didn't need your help anyways, Eyebrows," Alfred huffed, unable to argue with his cousin's 'excuse.'

Arthur just stormed out. Everyone remaining in the room was wise enough to let him be. The remaining members managed to finish the meeting shortly after. As they left, Alfred tried to take some of the heat off of Ludwig's strained shoulders over their recent assignment.

"I guess it's true what they say about the Headmaster's mad diplomacy skills!" Alfred rested his hands behind his head.

The others nodded absently. They had been debating on the culprit being staff or student, wealthy or poor, driven by family situation or driven by a dare or possible prank that needed supplies. Alfred opened the door to let the others out and they found themselves face to face with Gilbert, Antonio, and Feliciano…who looked surprised to see them. Gilbert tried to give them a fake excuse about checking in them after their first gathering, but his younger brother saw right through his lie. Ludwig was already in an irritated mood and demanded his bruder tell him what they were really doing outside the door.

"Okay, fine. Bets may or may not have been placed on the outcome of your little meeting here," Gilbert grinned. "By the way, Lovino, if you had to guess, how many curse words did you say at the meeting?"

"Why the fuck should that matter?"

"59."

Everyone turned to face Kiku, who held up the meeting notes.

"And that's just the English ones…" the Japanese boy sighed. "I still have to double-check all the phrases you said in Italian."

"Haha! Fratello has a potty mouth!" Feliciano laughed while a grumpy Gilbert slammed a ten dollar bill into Antonio's hand.

"I'm surprised Francis wasn't in on it," Alfred glanced around. "He loves this sort of thing."

"He took off to calm his un-awesomely spastic boyfriend down," Gilbert explained. "I knew Lovino would make it through the entire meeting!"

"Ve…Francis and Antonio lost big on that one…" Feliciano sighed.

"I can't believe you bet on this stupid shit," the older Italian huffed…before his brother's words registered in his brain. He angrily turned on the Spaniard. "Wait, you didn't even bet on me, bastard?!"

"L-Lo siento, Lovi!" Antonio held his arms up in futile peace offering. "I thought for sure you'd storm out first if that bushy-browed cabron said something mean to you!"

"And I thought we were _family_, asshole!"

"That's why I thought I was right!"

This wasn't the correct answer and Antonio paid for it in the form of several punches to his arm and one particularly painful kick to his shins. By the time it settled down, Kiku checked his phone and regretted to inform his friends that he wouldn't be able to assist them. There was a family emergency he had to take care of after school that was unavoidable.

"If it gets resolved quickly, I'll return to assist you," Kiku promised.

"Great, your Iris would really come in handy for this case!" Alfred smiled. "But seriously, family comes first, so don't push yourself. We'll be fine here."

Kiku thanked him and took off to gather his things. As Alfred looked around at his remaining council members – Lovino and Ludwig, who would sooner kill each other than work together peacefully, he got an idea.

"Didn't you guys know there's a strict school policy about spying on Student Council meetings?"

"V-Ve! Is there really?!" Feliciano looked alarmed.

"You're bullshitting us…" Gilbert said, but even he looked unsure. "Ludwig! Tell me he's lying."

Ludwig only coughed curtly into his hand, refusing to make eye-contact. Gilbert took that as confirming Alfred's words. Feliciano drew the same conclusion and his lower lip trembled. He didn't want to be in trouble again, especially just after Roderich caught him in the Student Council room. Ludwig figured it wasn't lying if he said nothing and let the two jump to their own crazy conclusions.

He really didn't want to spend the afternoon with an airheaded president with a hero complex and Feliciano's moody brother.

"I'm willing to overlook it if you help us on this case afterschool…"

"But I can't! I have plans I can't get out of!" Antonio protested; a twinge of worry in his voice.

"Then you owe the Student Council a favor at a later time," the President grinned.

"What?!" Gilbert screeched. Like hell he wanted to be stuck on a wild goose chase. "You…you've got to be bullshitting us..."

"I'm not bullshitting you, I'm blackmailing you," Alfred smiled innocently.

"D-Dammit…" the albino hunched his shoulders. "Fine, I'll help you."

"I'd love to help out!" Feli beamed. "Thanks for not reporting us!"

"I'll just have to help you guys out with something another time…" Antonio scratched his head. "Maybe decorating for the homecoming dance? There's never enough volunteers for that, right?"

"That sounds good," Alfred nodded.

Antonio took off just before Mount Lovino erupted. The job their Headmaster had given them was total crap to begin with. There was no force on earth that could convince him recruiting his space cadet brother and another potato bastard would make it any easier.

"Screw this! I'm not a fucking detective!" he spat.

"Police Commissioner…Detective…close enough."

"If that's my title, then give me some cops to boss around and they'd catch the culprit!" Lovino turned his wrath towards Alfred. "This isn't my fucking division!"

"But you're so good at figuring things out," Alfred countered. "Right, guys?"

The others nodded their agreement.

"W-Well, I'm an Iris Zero, you don't want to work with someone like that, do you?!"

"D-Don't say things like that, Lovi!" Feliciano tightly hugged his brother. "You know that doesn't make you any less of a person!"

"Honestly, I think being an Iris Zero is one of your better traits," Ludwig blurted out, wincing slightly when Lovino gave him a deathglare. "Besides, I already work with you."

_For better or for worse_…

"And as if the Awesome Me is afraid of the supposed 'Iris Zero curse,'" Gilbert moved his fingers into heavily accented quotation marks. "Kesesese! Feli and Toni hung out with you for years and they turned out alright."

Lovino thought that last part was questionable. Seeing that he was now stuck, he grumbled his consent to help out. He'd help, but he wouldn't like it, dammit. Stupid eyebrows bastard and rice bastard stealing all the good excuses…

"What if I came too…?" Matthew spoke up, causing the other five to nearly jump out of their skin.

"Holy shit!"

"Ah!"

"When did you get here?!"

"Holy mother of fuck, you nearly gave me a heart attack, Mattie!"

Matthew looked down.

"I've been here the whole time…I was waiting for Alfred…"

"Then you're bound by the same rules as Feliciano and Gilbert!" his brother jumped on the opportunity for another recruit. "You have to help us find the Headmaster's missing kitchen supplies or whatever! The six of us will form the dream team of detectives!"

A collection of sighs and groans escaped the others. As they dragged themselves off to their morning class, each resigned themselves to the task ahead of them.

"…I knew I should have called in sick today," Lovino grumbled.

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oOo

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A/N – This particular Student Council dangerously walks the line between highly effective and completely insane…

I know there weren't a lot of Irises in this chapter, but there will be lots in the next!

-Rajikka

**Translations**

**Fratello **– Brother (It.)

**Kasem Shinawatra** – My made up human name for Thailand. "Kasem" means "Happiness" and "Shinawatra" means "Does good routinely" (Thai)

**Tsundere** – A type of character seen in anime or manga known for appearing cold or hostile, but having a hidden sweet side. "Tsun Tsun" is the aloof or irritable side, while "Dere Dere" is the lovey dovey side. (Jp.)

**Stronzo** – Bastard or Asshole (It.)

**Cabron** – Bastard or jackass (Sp.)

**Lo siento** – I'm sorry (Sp.)


End file.
